The AA is warning consumers to be careful in the week of a large cam which has begun circulating whereby the offer of a fake emergency car kit given out for free to AA users has resulted in many becoming victims of a phishing scam.
New Scams
The initial scam began with a small number of emails being sent out reportedly claiming to be from the AA. However, as the week progressed, more fake emails emerged to the point that the AA has begun to take action to try and deal with the situation.
They have released a statement which has reminded consumers about the importance of being safe on the Internet, as well as working with the police in order to raise awareness of the scam and provide support where necessary.
One tool that the organisation has implemented is called a brand indicator for message identification, known as BIMI. Essentially, this is a distinct marking that will appear on all legitimate emails sent to consumers so they can identify the difference between a fake email and a real one
Quotes From the Company
Obviously, the incident has prompted concern and opinions offered by various key players within the AA. For example, Darren Desmond is the AA’s chief information security officer, and had this to say:
“The saying goes ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’, but in this case it’s an awful impression.
Our job is to help keep your show on the road, which is why we want to spread the message and help customers spot this shocking scam. We continue to invest in the best security systems to safeguard our customers and their data, which is why most emails pretending to be from us will end up in your spam folder. Emails from us will have the domain name ‘theaa.com’.
We urge people to report every scam email they receive, but if they accidently open one then running antivirus software on their device, patching operating systems and applications, and Using Multi Factor Authentication (or MFA as it’s widely known), typically through an app, are great ways to reduce the risk. If personal or financial details have been compromised, then people should contact the police or report via the Action Fraud Police website.”
Naturally, it is very important that drivers continue to be vigilant when navigating the online world and to be very careful when opening emails which request large amounts of personal information and claim to be a reputable company. The vast majority of professional businesses do not routinely contact users and ask for personal data, and many have processes built to help reassure consumers that they are a legitimate contact point.
If ever unsure, then it is best to be careful and contact the AA directly in order to request verification that the email is legitimate, and if not, never put personal information into any website or link. After all, once information has been taken, it is incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands.