New phishing scam: stealing Google AdWords account

Today’s new phishing scam is an attempt to steal your Google AdWords account information and/or a credit-card number. I received two identical messages today, sent to email accounts that most definitely aren’t set up with Google AdWords.

One came from the spoofed address email hidden; JavaScript is required, and had the subject line “Please re-submit your payment information.” The other came from the spoofed address email hidden; JavaScript is required, and had the subject line, “Your ads in this account are not running.”

Beyond that, both messages were trying to get me to click on a link that looked a Google URL, but actually belonged to a non-Google server. Don’t be fooled! Don’t be scammed!

Here’s what the message said:

Hello,

Our attempt to charge your credit card for your
outstanding Google AdWords account balance was declined.
Your account is still open. However, your ads have been suspended. Once
we are able to charge your card and receive payment for your account
balance, we will re-activate your ads.

Please update your billing information, even if you plan to use the
same credit card. This will trigger our billing system to try charging
your card again. You do not need to contact us to reactivate your
account.

To update your primary payment information, please follow these steps:

1. Log in to your account at [hidden fake url]
2. Enter your primary payment information.
3. Click ‘Update’ when you have finished.

In the future, you may wish to use a backup credit card in order to
help ensure continuous delivery of your ads. You can add a backup
credit card by visiting your Billing Preferences page or visit the
AdWords Help Centre for more details:

Thank you for advertising with Google AdWords. We look forward to
providing you with the most effective advertising available.

The Google AdWords Team

Z Trek Copyright (c) Alan Zeichick