International Law

Email claiming to be from AdWords?

Image by rustybrick via Flickr

Some good and timely advice from Google Adwords about a phishing scam.

There are reports of phishing emails that falsely appear to be from adwords-noreply@google.com.

These fraudulent emails ask users to update their billing information, take action on a disapproved ad, edit their account, or accept new AdWords terms and conditions.

Please remember that Google's AdWords team will never send an unsolicited message asking for your password or other sensitive information by email or through a link.

If you've received a phishing email that attempts to fraudulently collect passwords, credit card numbers, and other sensitive information, please report to us immediately by completing the Report Phishing Form.

If you ever need to change your account information, such as your billing details or your password, you should always sign in to your account from the main AdWords login page (https://adwords.google.com) and make the changes directly within your account.

Tips to avoid phishing:

Don't reply to or click on links in emails that ask for personal, financial, or account information.

Check the message headers.

The From address and the Return-path should reference the same source.

Instead of clicking the links in emails, go to the websites directly by typing the web address into your browser, cutting and pasting the URL into your browser, or using bookmarks.

If you're on on a secure page, look for "https" at the beginning of the URL and a padlock icon in the browser window.

Keep your computer's antivirus, spyware, browser, and security patches up to date and regularly run system scans.

Review your accounts regularly and check for unauthorized activity. Use a browser that has a phishing filter (Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Opera)."

Full post as published by Misleading Advertising Law on October 16, 2008 (boomark / email).