If you watch the news, you've undoubtedly heard about the raging wildfires that are happening in California. It's a tragic disaster that has displaced thousands of families, caused millions of dollars in damages, and one of the fires completely levelled the town of Paradise, California. The response from humanitarian organizations and from individuals across the country has been nothing short of amazing, and has supplied those affected with much needed supplies, funds, and comfort during their time of need. Unfortunately, as with most major disasters, unscrupulous and morally bankrupt individuals see it as an opportunity to cash in on well-meaning donors.
Cybercriminals are making use of the common "CEO fraud" attack, where they send emails that look like they are sent from the head decision maker of a company, usually asking for you to purchase gift cards or wire transfer a large sum of money to pay off a bogus invoice. Only now, they're using the wildfires as the rationale for purchasing gift cards in large denominations for use as charitable donations.
When you receive an email from any high-level members of your company asking for you to take care of "a small, urgent task" or anything involving finances, it's always best give them a call to verify the details, and that it WAS them that asked you to do it for them. Even if you run the risk of breaking their focus, that is a much smaller price to pay than losing hundreds or even thousands of company money to fraud.
Alternatively, if you're ever unsure, give FrameWork a call. We can verify the identity of the sender and help you determine what steps you should be taking.
If you want to read a little bit more about this specific scam, click HERE.
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