Earlier today, a phishing scam was set in motion involving Google Docs and Email accounts. Basically, the email is a notification that a contact, from your contact list wants to share a Google Doc with you. The email looks legitimate and could easily trick you. The only indicator that I personally have found is that the email ends in @mailinator-dot-com.
What this scam does
This scam, if it implants itself in your email, will send the same email it originally sent to every contact you have. This means that it will spread exponentially if everyone blindly accepts it.
As a college student, I rely heavily on my email, as do all of my peers. I learned about this scam through my school's email. In an environment full of young adults, this could mean widespread scamming on a global scale. The scam may look through all of your emails, collecting tons of information about you and others that you know. It may also just be a spam email hoping to get everyone's address. This is, as of now, unknown information until Google gives an official statement about it.
What to do if you've been affected
Do not panic, as this may be a harmless scam, but you can never be too careful. First, revoke access of the fake "Google Doc" app to your account. Simply put, just find the screen that tells you which apps have access to your account and remove all the titles that have anything to with "Google Docs." Don't worry about getting rid of the actual app.
If you do happen to do that, you can always grant access again. Then, you'll probably want to change your password, just in case that information was also compromised.
Safely surfing the web
We all surf the web constantly and there are many many threats out there. We must all be cautious and question what we see and allow to access our personal information.
If you receive this scam email from someone, it might be your best friend, or it might be a high school teacher that you haven't seen in years. Be mindful. This scam was cleverly built and coded to bypass authentications. It looks and feels legit when you look at it and open it. If you think you are affected, take action to keep your personal information secret. If you receive an email from someone that looks fishy, do not click any links in it, and be sure to email that contact back and tell them that their account may be compromised.
