--- title: "Will Being Greedy Make You Vulnerable to Phishing Attacks? | DuoCircle" description: "If you don’t already know, phishing attacks are not a technology exploit, they are a human exploit. Phishing technology itself is usually not that clever." image: "https://www.duocircle.com/images/og-default.png" canonical: "https://www.duocircle.com/blog/phishing-protection/will-being-greedy-make-you-vulnerable-to-phishing-attacks/" --- Quick Answer Greed is one of the most reliable phishing levers because it shuts off the skepticism users would normally apply. A 2019 Steam-themed campaign documented by SC Magazine and Bleeping Computer used profile-comment spam promising free game skins and a fake $30,000 giveaway to drive victims to a credential-harvesting page hosted at giveavvay.com (the 'w' was actually two 'v's, a classic homograph spoof). The attackers did not need to compromise Steam itself; they just baited human attention. Rule of thumb: free stuff equals scam. Since human judgment fails under emotional pressure, the durable defense is technology that does not get greedy, including cloud-based phishing protection that catches lookalike domains and inspects links before the click goes through. Share [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fwill-being-greedy-make-you-vulnerable-to-phishing-attacks%2F "Share on LinkedIn") [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Will%20Being%20Greedy%20Make%20You%20Vulnerable%20to%20Phishing%20Attacks%3F&url=undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fwill-being-greedy-make-you-vulnerable-to-phishing-attacks%2F "Share on X/Twitter") [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fwill-being-greedy-make-you-vulnerable-to-phishing-attacks%2F "Share on Facebook") [ ](https://reddit.com/submit?url=undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fwill-being-greedy-make-you-vulnerable-to-phishing-attacks%2F&title=Will%20Being%20Greedy%20Make%20You%20Vulnerable%20to%20Phishing%20Attacks%3F "Share on Reddit") [ ](mailto:?subject=Will%20Being%20Greedy%20Make%20You%20Vulnerable%20to%20Phishing%20Attacks%3F&body=Check out this article: undefined%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fwill-being-greedy-make-you-vulnerable-to-phishing-attacks%2F "Share via Email") ![Phishing Attacks](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2019/12/spf-permerror-3041.jpg) _If you don’t already know, phishing attacks are not a technology exploit, they are a human exploit_. Phishing technology itself is usually not that clever. A fake email, a fake website, and you have all the makings of a phishing attack. _The real trick to successful phishing attacks is the way they exploit human weaknesses_. And there’s no greater **human weakness** than greed. People have been known to make some really dumb decisions when they let greed get the better of them. Hackers know it, and they use it in [social engineering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social%5Fengineering%5F%28security%29), which is a precursor to most **phishing attacks**. The latest example of this comes from the world of video gaming. According to an article on [SC Magazine](https://www.scmagazine.com/home/security-news/phishing/phishing-scam-uses-fake-giveaways-to-lure-in-steam-gaming-service-users/?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=SCUS%5FNewswire%5F20191210&hmSubId=01xQvtS0ero1&email%5Fhash=0da939dab246e8101d6090def505f6f5&mpweb=1325-11587-1896988), “Cybercriminals are reportedly attempting to trick users of the Steam video game digital distribution service into visiting a **phishing site** that pretends to give away new game skins, but _actually steals login credentials_. The malicious site further perpetuates the scam by showing what appears to be a $30,000 giveaway promotion featuring 26 days’ worth of free skins for the multiplayer first-person shooter game.” After doing some research, [Bleeping Computer](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fake-steam-skin-giveaway-site-steals-your-login-credentials/) discovered the “_scam is being promoted through comments made to Steam profiles_. These comments state ‘Dear winner! Your SteamID is selected as a winner of Weekly giveaway. Get your Karambit | Doppler on giveavvay.com.’”. _The hackers didn’t even need to take over the Steam website_. All they had to do was post some bogus comments in the comments section to lure in their victims. And, if you were paying close attention, you noticed the exploit. _[Domain name spoofing](https://www.barracuda.com/glossary/domain-spoofing) is a phishing tactic where hackers give you a link to a website that looks like one thing, but is really another_. In this case, the website “give away dot com” is malicious because the “w” in the word “away” is actually two “v”s. Would you have caught that? > One of the rules of thumb for identifying potential threats is pretty simple: **free stuff = scam**. [![ Phishing Protection](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2019/12/spf-permerror-3042.jpg)](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2019/12/spf-permerror-3042.jpg) Would you fall for an exploit like this in the comments section? How about if it showed up in your inbox? _It only takes a moment to fall for a phishing scam based on greed, or any other human weakness_. And the only way to combat human weaknesses is with technology. Technology that sees two “v”s and not a “w”. Technology that isn’t greedy. Technology that’s specifically designed to **stop phishing attacks**. Technology like [DuoCircle](/email/phishing-protection). DuoCircle is **cloud-based phishing protection** software designed specifically to keep you safe from phishing attacks like the one against the Steam distribution service. And because it’s cloud based, it requires no hardware, no software, no maintenance and sets up in 10 minutes. Protect you and your greedy employees from phishing attacks with [Phishing Protection](/email/phishing-protection) from DuoCircle. _It costs pennies per employee per month, comes with live 24/7 phone support and is backed by a 30 money-back guarantee_. When it comes to phishing protection, it’s no time to be greedy. ![Brad Slavin](https://media.mailhop.org/dmarcreport/images/team/brad-slavin.jpg) Brad Slavin General Manager General Manager at DuoCircle. Product strategy and commercial lead across the email security portfolio. ## Secure your email infrastructure Protect, authenticate, and deliver. Contact our team to find the right solution. [Contact Sales](/contact/) [Explore Products](/products/) Share this article [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.duocircle.com%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fwill-being-greedy-make-you-vulnerable-to-phishing-attacks%2F) [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Will%20Being%20Greedy%20Make%20You%20Vulnerable%20to%20Phishing%20Attacks%3F&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.duocircle.com%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fwill-being-greedy-make-you-vulnerable-to-phishing-attacks%2F) [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.duocircle.com%2Fblog%2Fphishing-protection%2Fwill-being-greedy-make-you-vulnerable-to-phishing-attacks%2F) Copy Related Articles - [ ![AI-Generated Phishing](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2026/04/spf-record-4522.jpg) AI-Generated Phishing Has Eliminated the Typo: Why Traditional Email Filters Are No Longer Enough Phishing ](/blog/ai-generated-phishing-eliminates-typos-making-traditional-email-filters-ineffective/) - [ ![spf-permerror-4555](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2023/05/spf-permerror-4555.jpg) 10 Applications of ChatGPT that Hackers Are Already Exploiting Phishing ](/blog/phishing-protection/10-applications-of-chatgpt-that-hackers-are-already-exploiting/) - [ ![Email-Based Cyber-Attacks](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2016/03/spf-record-tester-4455.jpg) 65% of Global Businesses Ill-Equipped to Defend Against Email-Based Cyber-Attacks Phishing ](/blog/phishing-protection/65-global-businesses-ill-equipped-defend-email-based-cyber-attacks/) - [ ![Email-based Ransomware Attacks](https://media.mailhop.org/duocircle/images/2018/02/email-smtp-service-7834.jpg) 7 Ways to Protect Your Organization from Email-based Ransomware Attacks Phishing ](/blog/phishing-protection/7-ways-protect-organization-email-based-ransomware-attacks/) ## Related Articles [ Phishing 11m AI-Generated Phishing Has Eliminated the Typo: Why Traditional Email Filters Are No Longer Enough Apr 28, 2026 ](/blog/ai-generated-phishing-eliminates-typos-making-traditional-email-filters-ineffective/)[ Phishing 5m 10 Applications of ChatGPT that Hackers Are Already Exploiting May 3, 2023 ](/blog/phishing-protection/10-applications-of-chatgpt-that-hackers-are-already-exploiting/)[ Phishing 4m 65% of Global Businesses Ill-Equipped to Defend Against Email-Based Cyber-Attacks Mar 29, 2016 ](/blog/phishing-protection/65-global-businesses-ill-equipped-defend-email-based-cyber-attacks/)[ Phishing 9m 7 Ways to Protect Your Organization from Email-based Ransomware Attacks Feb 11, 2018 ](/blog/phishing-protection/7-ways-protect-organization-email-based-ransomware-attacks/) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"DuoCircle LLC","url":"https://www.duocircle.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.duocircle.com/images/duocircle-logo.png"},"description":"DuoCircle is a portfolio of specialized email products covering protection, authentication, delivery, and routing. 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