Email scam sweeping Bowling Green businesses

*This story has been modified from its original version.

An email hack is currently sweeping Bowling Green businesses and cyber security officials say your information may be for sale on the dark web already.

“Bowling Green is experiencing a big set of viruses right now,” said David Doran, Vice President of computer support company ISTT, Inc. “The problem is it’s coming in as an email, might be from somebody you know, looks pretty simple and looks like ‘hey I might be getting some money back. Looks like something I might get a refund on,’ so you click on it and instead of getting money back, you’re actually spreading a virus.”

A local cyber security firm, Coretech, alerted some of their potentially-affected contacts of the email phishing scheme earlier this week. 

Coretech sent an email to their contacts alerting them that a cyber criminal used the company’s logo and contact information to send emails with the subject line “Invoice and payment remittance advice.”

This phishing scam includes an attachment that, if opened, could ultimately lead to your information being stolen.

“What it’s doing is it’s tracking your email and getting your username and password,” Doran said.  “They [hackers] are using that information against us. They’re selling it on the dark web, so when you go to book your trip at Priceline or Travelocity or whatever, they might be using that same username and password.”

Affecting several area businesses and even the Bowling-Green Area Chamber of Commerce, the emails sent to you may come from a familiar name or even business partner.

Doran urges you to not click on any suspicious attachments that seem out of the ordinary. You could be handing your identity and finances over to the hands of hackers.

“We’re actually the only company in town that monitors the dark web and we’ve been watching it and it’s scary,” Doran said. “We have been getting hit as early as yesterday, that this information is being sold.”

Coretech, a 12-year-old cyber security firm, also monitors the dark web and other cyber security issues, company spokeswoman Elizabeth Vanover said.

You can call ISTT, Inc. or Coretech for a free scan to see if your information has been compromised. 

*CLARIFICATION: This story has been modified from its original version. The email virus was not created by Coretech.