What Is the Google Drive Scam? How Can You Avoid It?

Have you ever received a suspicious link or document in your Google Drive or via email? This might be a sign of the Google Drive scam, a clever trick that hackers use to steal your personal information. The "Google Drive Scam" is a phishing attack where cybercriminals exploit Google Drive's sharing feature to send fraudulent emails or share malicious documents, tricking recipients into revealing sensitive information or downloading malware.

• Google Drive is now one of the top five legitimate platforms exploited by cybercriminals to deliver phishing emails, alongside DocuSign, PayPal, Microsoft, and Salesforce (2024–2025). Phishing attempts using Google Slides links (part of Google Drive) skyrocketed by 201.5% between September 15, 2024, and February 15, 2025, compared to the previous six months.
• Attackers often take advantage of trusted domains like google.com to make their scams more convincing. In fact, platforms such as Google Drive, Microsoft Office, Salesforce, DocuSign, Zoom, and Dropbox are among the most frequently targeted corporate services for phishing attacks (2024).
• Around 80% of these phishing campaigns are designed to steal login credentials, with a particular focus on cloud-based services like Google Workspace. Criminals typically set up realistic fake login pages to trick users into handing over their credentials (2024).

To avoid falling victim to such scams, it's important to verify the authenticity of unexpected document sharing requests, enable two-factor authentication, and maintain up-to-date security software.

What Is The Google Drive Scam?

The Google Drive scam is a type of phishing attack. Hackers use Google Drive or similar cloud services to trick individuals into giving away personal information. They trick users into clicking on phishing links or downloading malware.

These phishing email scams can be particularly convincing because they often mimic legitimate notifications from Google Drive. Cybercriminals exploit the trust that users have in the Google platform.

What You Need to Know About the Google Drive Scam

The Google Drive scam is a sophisticated phishing attack because it bypasses usual email spam filters. It also uses people's trust in emails from well-known services like Google Drive. Here are the 6 key insights into how these phishing scams operate and what to watch out for:

1. Push Notifications Can Be Sent by Hackers

Utilizing Google Drive's legitimate notification system, hackers can directly send push notifications or emails to their targets, making the phishing appear more credible.

2. Official No-Reply Addresses Should Be Avoided

Scammers often spoof "no-reply" email addresses that seem to originate from official sources. It's important to identify phishing emails' authenticity by checking for inconsistencies in the sender's email address or by directly contacting the purported source through official channels.

3. Avoid Clicking on Suspicious Links

Exercise caution with links or files shared via Google Drive, especially if the sender is unfamiliar or the context seems out of place. Hover over links to preview the URL and ensure it directs to a legitimate Google domain (e.g. google.com).

4. Be Cautious While Accepting Prize Offers

Phishing email scams may entice victims with fraudulent prize offers or rewards. The phishing email is well prepared to convince users to click on a link and enter personal information to claim their prize. Legitimate companies rarely offer prizes through unsolicited Google Drive links.

5. Keep an Eye Out for Typos and Foreign Languages

Messages filled with grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, or unsolicited use of foreign languages are common indicators of phishing attempts. These errors can signal that the communication is not from a professional or legitimate source.

6. Verify Sender's Email Domain

Always check that Google Drive emails are sent from an `@google.com` email address. This step is important for identifying and avoiding potential phishing email scams pretending to be from Google.

12 Google Drive Scam Statistics and Trends

Here is a list of statistics related to Google Drive scams, drawn from various reports on phishing and cyber threats where Google Drive is explicitly mentioned or implicated (e.g., as part of Google Workspace or through link hijacking). These focus on recent data from 2023–2025, including general phishing trends involving Google products since Drive scams often involve phishing tactics like fake notifications, shared links, or credential theft:

1. Google Drive is among the top five legitimate platforms used by cybercriminals to send phishing emails, alongside DocuSign, PayPal, Microsoft, and Salesforce (2024–2025).
2. There was a 201.5% increase in phishing attacks using Google Slides links (part of Google Drive) between September 15, 2024, and February 15, 2025, compared to the previous six months, as attackers hijack legitimate domains like google.com.
3. Google Drive, along with Microsoft Office platforms, Salesforce, DocuSign, Zoom, and Dropbox, make up the most targeted corporate platforms for phishing attacks (2024).
4. Around 80% of phishing campaigns aim to steal credentials, particularly targeting cloud-based services like Google Workspace (which includes Drive), using realistic fake login pages (2024).
5. Google blocks 100 million phishing attempts daily across its services, including those potentially involving Drive notifications or links (ongoing, reported in 2025).
6. Phishing attacks spoofing brands like Google (including Drive-related scams) account for 7% of global brand-impersonation phishing attempts (2023–2024).
7. Google is among the highly impersonated brands in phishing attacks at 13%, often involving cloud service credential theft that could target Drive (2025).
8. Over 55% of phishing emails spoof or reference popular brands like Google, with phishers hosting scam pages on platforms like Google Sites to leverage domain reputation for attacks potentially involving Drive (2023–2024).
9. 91% of bait phishing emails are sent from newly created Gmail accounts, which can facilitate Drive-related scams through shared links or notifications (2023–2024).
10. In 2023, a threat actor used phishing to compromise a Cisco employee's personal Google account, leading to credential syncing and data theft, highlighting risks to Drive-integrated services.
11. Phishing scams, including those targeting Google products like Drive, contributed to $12.5 billion in global losses in 2024, a 25% increase from 2023.
12. Phishing was responsible for data breaches in 90% (9/10) of organizations in 2024, with financially devastating impacts often involving cloud services like Google Workspace and Drive.

How to Prevent Phishing Attacks on Your Data?

Defending against phishing necessitates a holistic approach that involves educating users, staying alert, and implementing technological safeguards.

1. Inform Your Staff About the Dangers of Phishing Emails

Regular security awareness training should be provided to employees to help them identify and respond appropriately to phishing attempts across email, websites, SMS (Smishing), and phone calls (Vishing). Key security training topics should cover phishing red flags like urgency, threats, and suspicious links or attachments. Additionally, phishing simulation tools can be used to test employee readiness and turn failures into teachable moments.

2. Make Use of Phishing and Security Awareness Training

Comprehensive phishing and security awareness training programs should be implemented to simulate realistic phishing scenarios. These programs prepare staff to spot malicious emails and notifications and to avoid falling to phishing attacks. Training should be continuous and adapted to reflect evolving phishing tactics seen in the field.

3. Teach Internal Cybersecurity Champions to Raise Awareness of Phishing Scams.

By assigning responsibility to an internal member of staff who will champion cyber awareness, organizations can raise overall awareness, beyond one-time programmes. Internal champions can offer regular training and guidance to other employees on the latest phishing trends and threats. They can also act as the go-to person in the company when risky behaviors arise.

4. Maintain Regular Communication

The organization should maintain open communication about the importance of cybersecurity. Encourage employees to swiftly report any suspicious digital activities without fear of blame or punishment. Phishing's severe potential consequences should be conveyed to ensure all staff understand their critical role in prevention.

5. Keep All IT Systems Safe and Up to Date

All software powering email spam filters, antivirus programs, firewalls, and more should be promptly updated to protect against phishing threats exploiting known flaws. Operating systems and other critical software should also be kept up-to-date. Where possible, automate patching processes to increase speed and coverage across the organization's technology infrastructure.

Watch the YouTube video below and see examples of Google Drive phishing emails.

How to Prevent Phishing Attacks for Workers?

For individual workers, personal vigilance and proactive cybersecurity practices are key to avoiding phishing scams:

• Never open emails from senders you don't recognize: Unsolicited emails are a common vector for phishing attempts. Exercise caution and verify the sender's identity through independent means.
• Never click on email links: Instead of clicking on links in emails, access the purported service directly through your browser by typing the official URL or using a bookmark.
• Examine emails for any questionable content: Look for signs of phishing, such as requests for personal information, unsolicited attachments, or offers that seem too good to be true.

Take Control of Your Cybersecurity

Keepnet’s comprehensive solutions will empower your entire team and foster a strong culture of security awareness. Rather than just reacting to phishing threats, proactively prevent phishing scams with our robust, comprehensive phishing simulations like Smishing Simulator, Vishing Simulator, MFA Phishing Simulator, Email Phishing Simulator, Callback Simulator, Quishing Simulator, and security awareness training tools.

Want to learn more about what Keepnet can do for your organization? Watch our full product demo below to see the power of our SaaS platform in action:

Further Reading

Expanding your knowledge of cybersecurity awareness is vital to staying ahead of evolving threats. Below are carefully selected Keepnet blog posts, each offering unique insights and practical strategies to strengthen your organization’s defenses. Explore these resources to gain a deeper understanding of phishing, privacy, data protection, and the latest trends in security awareness.

• LinkedIn Scams on the Rise: Beware of Phishing Attacks: Learn how cybercriminals are exploiting LinkedIn to launch sophisticated phishing campaigns and discover actionable steps to protect your professional identity.
• Make Sure You Have a Variety of Security Procedures in Place: Understand why relying on a single layer of defense isn’t enough and how implementing multiple security controls reduces organizational risk.
• Mastering Data Protection Training: Safeguarding Sensitive Information: Discover effective methods to train employees on protecting sensitive data, reducing the risk of insider threats and compliance violations.
• Mastering DMARC: Boost Your Email Security IQ: Explore how DMARC enhances email security, prevents spoofing, and helps organizations maintain trust with their stakeholders.
• Mastering Social Media Privacy in 2024: Essential Tips to Protect Your Data: Learn best practices for securing personal and organizational data across social platforms in the modern digital landscape.
• Navigating the IoT Frontier: Security Awareness Training for a Connected World: Understand the unique risks posed by IoT devices and how tailored training can strengthen resilience in an interconnected workplace.
• Nudges in Security Awareness for Engineering and Development Teams: Explore behavioral nudges that empower technical teams to adopt secure coding and development practices.
• Nudges in Security Awareness for Executives and Leadership Teams: See how micro-interventions can influence leadership to champion cybersecurity and foster a strong security culture.
• Nudges in Security Awareness for Finance and HR Teams: Learn how nudges can reduce risks for departments that frequently handle sensitive personal and financial information.
• Nudges in Security Awareness for IT and Security Teams: Discover how targeted nudges can enhance compliance, vigilance, and response times within IT and security departments.
• Nudges in Security Awareness for Sales and Marketing Teams: Find out how sales and marketing teams, often prime phishing targets, can strengthen their defenses with timely security nudges.

Editor's Note: This blog was updated on September 30, 2025.