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Just when you thought cyber criminals couldn\u2019t get smarter, along comes a new scamming technique. Previously used for safeguarding browsing activity, encryption tools are now used by hackers in carrying out phishing scams. This means some fraudulent sites may have HTTPS on their address, giving users a false sense of security.<\/p>\n
According to recent research, 24% of phishing scams in 2017 use web encryption — an astounding increase from last year\u2019s 3%. This means more HTTPS sites may not be truly safe.<\/p>\n
Phishing scammers rely on their victims to do what they ask, which is why it\u2019s so effective. And with this new trick, unsuspecting users are more likely to be deceived. What makes this encryption-aided scam even more effective — and dangerous — is that it makes hackers\u2019 phishing email or text that much more authentic-looking.<\/p>\n
For example, if you receive an email that purports to be from Amazon and includes a link to an encrypted site, there\u2019s now a slightly higher chance you\u2019d believe this email is the real deal. Clearly, if you\u2019ve never purchased anything from Amazon, you\u2019d know that this is a fake. But then again, there are millions of Amazon customers who could be misled into thinking that that email is legitimate.<\/p>\n