A scam so clever that YouTube jumps in to warn all of its users

A new phishing email scam has started to slither its way to YouTube's users, with a high potential of misleading many into making a mistake. Tech influencer called Kevin Breeze was supposedly the first to raise this issue on Twitter but was far from the only person that came in contact with this malicious attempt.

YouTube, which is owned by Google, was quick on its feet and soon released its own warning to all who use the platform. The email in question is particularly confusing because the sender's address is called no-reply@youtube.com, making it seem like it is legitimately coming from the video streaming giant itself.

The fake message reads that there are changes in YouTube's monetization policy, which "requires" you to click on a link and download a document. For those who have experience with phishing emails, once this sentence is read it is easy to get at least a little suspicious, but there is a good probability that many would miss it. Downloading this file would most likely compromise your device's security and privacy, so it must be avoided!

There is no word from YouTube stating that the company is doing anything specific to combat this wave of phishing emails so far. At some point, especially with the issue gaining more popularity, scammers will likely stop using this method, but they always find a workaround.

General safety measures against phishing emails

So, what can you do to protect yourself from falling for one of these tactics? One way is to do a quick Google search and see if it is something common or well-known. Even if the email does not look suspicious, it is still worth it to do a quick check online.

Another common trait is that such emails usually make you download a file or go to a web page implying some kind of urgency that usually does not make sense. A legitimate business would seldom require you to download something random or head to a page that seems out of place.

In other words, if you think something doesn't seem right or looks odd, make sure to do some digging before taking any kind of action. You can even wait about a week to check if any reports pop up online.