Le Monde targeted in malicious phishing campaign

Le Monde has issued a warning to its subscribers that it has identified that it has become the victim of a phishing campaign.

Subscribers to Le Monde have been advised that the scammers are using a fraudulent email as their ‘cyber-weapon’ of choice.   The email is designed to encourage the subscriber to renew their subscription and appears to have been sent from the French publication.  Subject headings that have been used include ‘Don’t let your subscription expire, Renew your subscription’, ‘To continue to benefit from our services, renew your subscription before it expires’ and ‘Your subscription expires soon! Don’t lose your benefits, extend it now’.

Le Monde phishing scam is centred around subscription renewal

As with most email scams, there is then a link to click in order to enter personal information required as part of the ‘renewal’ process.  However, this is simply a way for those behind this phishing campaign to gain access to bank details, postal address and telephone number.

Le Monde is advising all subscribers to delete this email should they receive it, and under no circumstances click on the link.  For those who have been unfortunate enough to have already been caught out by this convincing-looking email, they strongly recommend that they contact their bank as soon as possible.  They will then be able to advise on what steps need to be taken in the event of fraud or data theft.

In addition, they advise being particularly vigilant for potential fraudulent calls or even visits to the home if a postal address has been revealed.  The individual behind the scam may try to make contact by phone, or make a home visit posing as a Le Monde adviser, a bank representative, an ‘anti-fraud’ agent or even a courier.

Le Monde issues advice to reduce risk of phishing attempts

In order to limit the risk of phishing attempts, Le Monde have provided the following advice to its subscribers:

Always check the sender’s e-mail address. E-mails relating to your subscription management only come from the following address: lemonde@fidelite-abo.lemonde.fr.

Do not download any attachments. E-mails sent by Le Monde never include attachments, except images integrated into the body of the message. If you receive a message with an attachment, we recommend not opening it.

You can change your password to increase the security of your account. Choose a strong password that combines upper- and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. To reset your password, please click on the following link: https://secure.lemonde.fr/sfuser/password/lost.

Report any suspicious messages. If you receive an email that seems to come from Le Monde but whose content or address seems dubious, please report it to us at clientnumerique@lemonde.fr.

In making subscribers aware of this phishing campaign, Le Monde has reassured its readers that their data has never been compromised, as their systems have not been hacked in any way.

Over to you – do you think enough is being done to educate and protect against cybercrime?undefine

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