Watchdog Uncovers 12% of Google Ads for Student Loan Relief Could be Malicious



Student Loan Forgiveness ScamYou may want to be careful about clicking on a student loan forgiveness ad. The Tech Transparency Project reviewed the top Google searches with 'student loan forgiveness' and found almost 12% of the ads were showing potential malicious intent.

Although Google claims to have strict rules for ads, there is still a risk of scammers taking advantage of the paid search service. And now with the student loan debt being extended until August 31st by President Joe Biden, there is now newfound interest in student loan forgiveness.

In a statement by Michelle Grajales, a staff attorney in the FTC’s division of financial practices, “Scammers read the news, too,” Grajales said. “They follow those trends as well and, unfortunately, account for them in their pitches to consumers.”

It is important to treat every link as if it could be suspicious - no matter how enticing the 'offering' may be. Implementing new-school security awareness training within your organization can help your users identify specific types of attacks, and report any suspicious activity. 

Bloomberg has the full story


Free Phishing Security Test

Would your users fall for convincing phishing attacks? Take the first step now and find out before bad actors do. Plus, see how you stack up against your peers with phishing Industry Benchmarks. The Phish-prone percentage is usually higher than you expect and is great ammo to get budget.

PST ResultsHere's how it works:

  • Immediately start your test for up to 100 users (no need to talk to anyone)
  • Select from 20+ languages and customize the phishing test template based on your environment
  • Choose the landing page your users see after they click
  • Show users which red flags they missed, or a 404 page
  • Get a PDF emailed to you in 24 hours with your Phish-prone % and charts to share with management
  • See how your organization compares to others in your industry

Go Phishing Now!

PS: Don't like to click on redirected buttons? Cut & Paste this link in your browser:

https://www.knowbe4.com/phishing-security-test-offer



Subscribe to Our Blog


Comprehensive Anti-Phishing Guide




Get the latest about social engineering

Subscribe to CyberheistNews