PPC Phishing E-Mail Scams
Just last week we had an e-mail come through to one of my colleagues' inbox from Google. Although the e-mail looked authentic, seemingly in the standard Google layout with the correct http link included I was immediately suspicious- my colleague was not named on our Google account! On further investigation of the e-mail, I noticed that the http link was hyperlinked to a rogue URL mock up of the Google Adwords sign in page!
I have also just read on
SEO Roundtable about a similar Yahoo PPC Phishing scam doing the rounds using the same or very similar tactics (see below).
If you are unsure whether these mails are genuine, here are a few pointers that I recommend you follow in order to keep yourself- and your PPC budget- safe:
- Check that the actual hyperlink or landing page of any links match the URL detailed in the text
- Be on guard if the e-mail goes to a colleague who is not, nor ever has been named on your account
- To be extra safe- don't click on the links- have the PPC sign in page bookmarked always use this rather than clicking on links in e-mails you get claiming to be from Google/ Yahoo