Posing as regulators, phishers target insurance industry

Cybersecurity is big news in insurance, as many insurers have developed products and services to manage the risk that comes with phishing scams and cyber theft.

But it looks like the insurance industry itself is not immune.

Posing as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and its Center for Insurance Policy and Research, cyber criminals are sending phony emails to insurance agents and brokers to click on dangerous links to gain access to information under the false pretenses that are the cornerstone of phishing scams.

The NAIC recently posted an alert about this new strategy, alerting its members of the dangers of emails that seek confidential information. 

“We are aware of a phishing scam targeting insurance producers regarding a falsified insurance claim related to their company that has been submitted to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners,” the NAIC wrote in its alert. “This fraudulent email displays the NAIC and CIPR logo, currently originates from a Gmail account and asks the recipient to click on a link to download the complaint notification.”