AFP traffic infringement scam

A recent email scam targeting road users has highlighted the case for stronger education around what constitutes good e-mail practice in today’s corporate landscape.

This latest email was sent with AFP branding and alerts the recipient that they have been issued with a traffic infringement notice.

Whilst convincing, on closer inspection small nuances serve as clues that this email scam is far from legit. For example the email had not been personally addressed, the fine listed includes cents and the letter A after the dollar sign, and it lacks any detail about your number plate or the actual offence.

Over recent weeks there have been numerous other scams that play on this ‘notice’ theme, all of which are particularly destructive; as these types of scam emails, if downloaded, can infiltrate your computer and steal your credentials.

A scam email such as this should not be viewed in isolation; this is just one of many potentially damaging scenarios in which someone can be attacked through email. More robust education of staff and board members will better equip them to properly identify phishing scams and malware attempts, which is a must for any organisation’s risk mitigation strategy.