Kingston Police warn of email scams using QuickBooks invoices to infect users

Kingston Police are sharing another spoof-style email scam that looks real and is convincing people to give up their hard earned money. This time scammers are using a QuickBooks spoof to get you to download an “invoice” that contains malware.

“An easy way for cybercriminals to get your attention is to claim that you owe a large amount of money,” said Constable Ash Gutheinz, Media Relations Officer – C.O.R.E. Unit. “Pair this claim with a QuickBooks-themed phishing email and malicious malware, you get a dangerous cybersecurity threat.”

According to a release from Kingston Police, the cybercriminals send a well-made spoof of a QuickBooks email that even includes an invoice number. The email message states that you owe over one-thousand dollars for the order but it gives no further details. Attached to the email is what appears to be an Excel file with the invoice number as the filename.

Kingston Police said the scammers are hoping you’ll open the attachment looking for more information. “If you do open it, you’ll actually be opening a dangerous piece of malware specially designed to target your financial and banking information,” Gutheinz continued. “This malware can lead to unauthorized charges, wire transfers, and even data breaches.”

Kingston Police provided these reminders on how you can stay safe from scams like this:

• Never click a link or download an attachment in an email that you were not expecting.
• Remember that scammers can disguise anything, even file types.
• If you think the notification could be legitimate, navigate to the official QuickBooks website and log in to your account to confirm.