Fake Obamacare Email Could Drain Your Bank Account!

What to Look For

The email was first spotted by security experts at Naked Security. It’s nearly identical to the original email, including use of the same language, exact formatting, and even includes the Department of Labor logo. A major notable change, though, is that instead of simply summarizing the changes to the Affordable Care Act page, the phony email asks readers to follow a link to download information. The link leads to a site that will prompt a malware download and infect your systems.

Avoid Clicking on Suspicious Links

Your first major sign of trouble should be the “FOLLOW LINK” prompt. Typically a good rule of thumb is that links embedded in emails are generally not a good thing and are quite likely to be part of a scam. If you put your mouse over the link in the email, you’ll see that it doesn’t lead to any government website.

If you do go as far as following the link you’ll be told to download a PDF called health_coverage_webcast.pdf. However, the file that actually downloads to your computer is health_coverage_webcast.pdf.scr – a program that installs Vawtrack, a malware designed to steal your information and gain access to your secure bank accounts.

If you’re feeling concerned, here’s a few great tips to help you stay safe against dangerous emails like this: