Google Drive Scam Shared Document Attachment Link

Online users are asked to be skeptical unexpected notification on their phones or an emails claiming that somebody invited them to collaborate on a new Google Drive document or sheet, especially if the collaborator is a non Google account.

A Google Drive Scam Email

From: TA (via Google Docs) drive-shares-dm-noreply@google[.]com
Subject: Document shared with you:..."
TA shared a document
TA (...)has invited you to *view* the following document:
Fwd: TA added you a viewer
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Interim Provost, Dean,
Newsresource..docx
httxx://docs[.]google[.]com/document/d/...
TA ... is outside your organization.
Open
If you don't want to receive files from this person, block the sender
httxx://drive[.]google[.]com/driv...
from Drive
...

Instead of sending an email directly to your inbox with a suspicious link, these scammers are sharing a file via Google Drive which contains the suspicious link. This is a clever twist because when someone shares something with you via Google Drive, the email or app notification does come directly from Google, but it’s what’s inside the shared file that poses a risk. What makes this extra effective is that Google’s collaboration feature may initiate a notification prompt on your mobile device if you are signed in.

Many of us tend to be less suspicious of notifications coming through on our smartphones and may be more inclined to click the link without realizing it is a phishing attempt.