Tag: Deepfake

Scams come with the territory when you own a business. Last week, we got one here at the Komando HQ that even I haven’t spotted before. Let’s just say I was equal parts impressed and annoyed. That’s why if you own a business or do anything with money at a company, you need to know this.

‘Fwd: Past due Inv 324476’

That was the subject line. What followed was an email chain between me (using my private company email address) and someone named “Paul Delcroix.” According to his email, we were overdue for paying his invoice, and he wanted that money, like, now.

Reading the email chain, it really looked like “Paul” and I were doing business together. In one email, I told him we needed to have a follow-up call. In another, I asked “Paul” to email our finance director, Amber, because she’d send over the money.

As it turns out, “Paul” had created the entire thread and used that to trick Amber into thinking I’d already approved the invoice.

Now, this scammer knew a lot about us, like my personal email address, Amber’s role at the company and Amber’s email address. They even knew our company’s industry; “Paul” was attempting to charge us for using his “Ethics in Broadcasting” legal materials and representatives.

Luckily, Amber is smart

She’s too smart to just pay an unexpected invoice, even if there seems to be evidence I OK’d it. She forwarded me the email and asked if the bill for $39,540 was legit.

Spot the signs

This is a tricky scam, but it’s far from perfect.

• The bill was for a large, unexpected expense. When we’re planning to spend a lot of money, Amber is almost always part of that conversation. If she’s not, I inform her later since she’s the one who pays the bills day to day.
• The emails from “Kim” sounded nothing like me. Scammers can find your contact info, photos and other details online, but most of them are really bad at sounding like you. One note started with, “We will prioritize the processing of this invoice today.” I’d never say it that way.
• There was an urgent tone. This is a big part of most scams. Would-be thieves try to convince you you’re behind on payments or you’ve done something wrong and you need to fix it ASAP.
• The invoice and emails are a mess. A closer look shows all kinds of strange formatting. The invoice looks bogus for sure.

One simple rule of thumb

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Not long ago, a woman named Robin was sleeping beside her husband, Steve. They live in Brooklyn with their two young kids. No, this isn’t the setup for a joke. It’s the setup for a nightmare scam that’s happening everywhere right now.

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