The AFP issued a tweet on 19 January advising recipients of the message that ‘we’d never send traffic infringement notices by email,’ and advising not to pay any money or click any links.
The scammers appear to be sending another wave of these previously seen scam emails to people in Australia. If you receive one of these emails you are advised to report it to the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network (ACORN) and delete it from your system without clicking on any links or opening any attachments.
The scam email incorporates the AFP logo and has few if any of the grammatical or typographical errors that typically characterise scam emails.
The message states the recipient has been issued with a traffic infringement and incorporates fake details such as reason, infringement number, date of issue, amount due and due date.
The email then features the line: ‘To see more information, please view your infringement notice’. The latter phrase includes a link to a spurious notice.
Qbit advises users not to click on the link as it is likely to infect your computer with malicious software that may be used to capture your financial information, steal your identity or encrypt your files as part of a ransomware attack.
The email also features a second link that you should not click on under any circumstances. This link is also likely to install malicious software that can then access your computer and personal information.
A screenshot of the message is included below.
If you receive this email call Qbit immediately on (08) 6364 0600. Worst case scenario we are able to restore your computer and remove the ransomware.
This article originally appeared at Communications.gov.au