AOA Warns Eye Doctors of Email Scam

It poses a malware risk.

The American Optometric Association is warning of a new email scam targeting eye doctors.

The “spear fishing” attempt “utilizes a fraudulent AOA sender name and subject line to lure unwary users into downloading an infected attachment,” AOA states on its website. The goal is to lure unwary users into downloading an infected attachment.

The email contains a “From” line that reads “©2018 American Optometric Association” and a subject line that states “AOA-Related Entities and Other Organizations Roster.” However, it does not originate from AOA.

The email claims: “You have a pending docs shared with you via Adobe Acrobat DC. Please ensure to review the attachment. The secure message expires on [a given date.”

AOA warns not click the link, as it could download malware onto users’ network.

The organization notes that such emails “fraudulently appear to originate from a known or trusted sender to elicit confidential information, such as passwords, account numbers or other sensitive data.”