Google warns millions over ‘random emoji’ clue that you’re about to suffer costly phishing scam

GOOGLE has warned millions implicit a unsafe and costly scam – and says spotting a "random emoji" reddish emblem that saves you.

The tech elephantine says it's present a "frequent" con that is progressively convincing.

It's a benignant of phishing scam, wherever online crooks usage tech to mimic a person, website, oregon app that you trust.

In a information memo, Google's Laurie Richardson said that the scam has been "increasing successful measurement and complexity".

"They are often carried retired by transnational crime organizations," said Laurie, Google's VP of Trust and Safety.

"Bad actors who run astatine scale, perpetually accommodate their methods, and harvester online and offline enactment to lure radical into their fraudulent schemes."

This benignant of "clone scam" involves intimately recreating apps and website landing pages from authoritative brands.

You mightiness not announcement thing wrong, but they're highly dangerous.

"These deceptive pages often mimic the quality of morganatic websites to instrumentality users into divulging idiosyncratic information, downloading malware oregon making fraudulent purchases," Laurie explained.

"Tech enactment scams are a predominant maneuver utilized by these scammers.

"Scammers make fake landing pages that intimately mimic authoritative lawsuit enactment sites, tricking users into providing delicate accusation oregon making payments for non-existent services."

Google says that login portals are present a "prime target" for scammers.

These fake log-in pages look conscionable similar the existent thing.

But these "deceptive replicas" tin instrumentality you into handing implicit delicate info.

Google warned that crooks are progressively targeting employees due to the fact that it tin beryllium much profitable.

"By exploiting the spot employees person successful their company's login process, scammers tin summation unauthorized entree to interior systems, perchance starring to information breaches, fiscal nonaccomplishment and reputational damage," Laurie said.

HOW TO STAY SAFE

Even though these fake websites and apps tin beryllium highly convincing, the ways of avoiding being caught retired stay the same.

You should debar clicking unsolicited links sent via email oregon text.

And marque definite to navigate straight to authoritative websites oregon apps, truthful you cognize you're interacting with the existent thing.

Google said determination are immoderate clues to look retired for that mightiness assistance you to enactment safe.

"Always effort to find accusation connected a company's authoritative website," Google warned.

"It’s important to beryllium wary of accusation from unofficial sources.

"And look intimately for subtle misspellings, unusual formatting, antithetic fonts oregon random emojis — these could beryllium reddish flags for a fake site."

The tech elephantine said that you should effort utilizing its 'About This Result' feature.

You tin find that by clicking the 3 dots next to a hunt effect connected Google.

"It gives invaluable insights astir the source, which tin assistance you spot whether it is simply a morganatic landing page," Google explained.