Malicious emails with the subject line and message “Your photo takes first place” are currently hitting inboxes.
The emails, which feature the Google Photos logo, include a “View Details” button that supposedly takes you to the Google Photos website. A second link has the text “3 ways to get more space on Google Photos”.
However, Google Photos is not sending these emails.
Clicking any of the links opens a fraudulent website that asks you to enter your Google account login details, ostensibly so that you can see the “winning” photograph.
If you proceed, online criminals will collect the information you provide and use it to take control of your Google account. Once they have gained access, they can steal your personal information, make fraudulent transactions, and distribute spam, scam, and malware emails.
There have been a number of variants of this scam email in recent years. Some versions may attempt to trick you into installing malware.
An earlier version claimed to be from the now discontinued image organizer Picasa.
If you receive one of these emails, do not click any links that it contains. Always login to your Google account by entering the address into your browser’s address bar or via a trusted app.
An example of the scam email:
