These are the brands presented by scammers

Scammers impersonate well-known brands. Adobe Stock / AOP

Scammers don’t take summer vacations. In the summer season, in addition to private individuals, employees are the target of scams, the second quarter brand counterfeiting report of the information security company Check Point shows.

The report reveals which brands cybercriminals use the most when fishing for personal and bank information. At the top of the list is LinkedIn, which has already been the most imitated brand in the world at the beginning of the year.

According to the researchers, the trend is worrying, as LinkedIn is considered a reliable social media platform. Scammers send messages that appear to come from LinkedIn. The messages can claim that the person has been searched on LinkedIn or that a message is waiting for them. In reality, the posts lead to phishing sites.

Criminals used social media brands the most, followed by technology companies and then transport companies.

According to the report, the biggest increase was seen in messages sent in the name of Microsoft, which accounted for 13 percent of all scam emails. Criminals have been diligently imitating Microsoft for several years now. There have been a lot of scam messages in Finland, but also scam calls with technical support.

Check Point researchers consider Microsoft scams to be particularly dangerous for both individuals and businesses. If the login information ends up in the hands of criminals, attackers can gain access to many Microsoft applications.

The third most counterfeited brand was DHL, with a share of 12 percent. Courier scams have also been very common in Finland in the form of text messages and emails. New entrants to the Top 10 list were Adidas, Adobe and HSBC.

Listed below are the most frequently used counterfeit brands in the second quarter of the year.