Police warn of phishing attacks using work benefits, raises as bait

As Crime Prevention Week 2019 continues, Kingston Police are warning the public about a new scam that has recently been brought to their attention which involves phishing attacks that use employee benefits and pay raises as bait.

According to Kingston Police, the scammers are aware that annual pay raises and employee benefit enrollments often happen at the end of the year, or at the beginning of a new year. The scammers take advantage of this time of year to send phishing emails related to these types of workplace communications.

“These scammers pose as your Human Resources department and send emails about things such as employee benefits surveys and salary increases,” Kingston Police said in a press release on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019. “These emails typically contain dangerous attachments or malicious links that take you to a fake login page where your login information could be stolen.”

Police advise the public not to click on links or open attachments if they receive emails about employee benefits or pay raises, even if the email appears to be from someone in their company’s human resources department. Instead, contact your human resources team via telephone to confirm the email is valid.