If you receive a request to open a Google Doc in your email, don't open it! It could be the latest internet scam targeting your personal information.
Popular Mechanics reported Wednesday that this uber-sophisticated phishing scam aims to collect all of your personal information and release it like a handful of confetti to your friends and contacts.
Here's how it works:
- You get an email from a friend asking you to look at a Google Doc
- When you click yes, Google Docs asks for permission to your account, including the permission to see and manage your email, as well as your contact lists
- Once that button is clicked, your account will send out messages to your contacts with a link similar to the one you got in an attempt to spread itself further
- It then disappears. It even deletes itself from your account, having squirreled away plenty of your data
The thing that makes this so tricky, though, is that this scam is NOT as easy to spot as others. It uses a legitimate third-party Google application, that somehow managed to secure the name “Google Docs.” In turn, it does not set off red flags since it has none of the hallmarks of usual scams.
Google itself has responded to the phishing incident via Twitter
Those who use Google Docs are urged to exercise caution and confirm with their contacts before opening any emails.