Fraud Alert! Don't get Fooled by Fake Invoices

In the last few weeks, we’ve noticed an increase in the number of reported phishing attempts, where hackers impersonate WHC through email in order to obtain your Client Area login credentials.

What Do the Fake Emails look like?

The fraudulent emails will generally include the WHC logo and text. They will attempt to lure you to a fake website that looks like WHC’s Client Area and if you enter your password, they will store it and use it in future hack attempts.

As of today, we’ve mostly seen these emails being sent in French, originating from blatantly fake email addresses, requesting payments in Euros, and redirecting users to an address through a URL-shortening service (miniurl.be). Here is a sample of one such email:

Keep in mind that fraudsters will vary their techniques often, so past fraud campaigns aren’t always an indication of future ones.

How can I protect myself?

Here are a few ways to separate legitimate communications apart from phoney ones:

• Web Hosting Canada will always send you emails from our authorized WHC.CA email addresses.
• When logging in to the Client Area from your browser, always verify the address in your address bar, which should always start with https://whc.ca or https://clients.whc.ca
• WHC does not send payment solicitations by postal mail. Beware of Domain Slamming attempts from letters received at your home or work address.
• cPanel is also a popular target of phishing attempts. Be wary of emails asking you for cPanel login information.
• Do not provide any personal or private information over email. If communicating with our support team, always use our secure support portal in our Client Area.
• Mark any fraud emails as junk in your email system, and inform our Abuse department of any new security risks you come across.
• Update your Client Area Password once every 6 months, or immediately if you suspect you were victim to one of these fraud campaigns.

Stay safe!