First Superfake Watches, Now Superfake Emails?

Today, I received a dispatch direct from Le Brassus, aka global headquarters for Audemars Piguet. The email cautions collectors that fraudsters are targeting clients of AP and other brands with potentially bad consequences. In the interest of collector protection, and as a bit of "public service," I'm copying the main body of the AP email below. Be careful out there, always check email headers and double-check with your known contacts at any brands before wiring money, for example:

"Cybercriminals are trying to scam customers in every industry and watchmaking makes no exception. At Audemars Piguet we want to be sure that our trusted community is well protected against cyber- criminal exploits.

Recently, threat actors have been using spoofing techniques to send fraudulent emails pretending to come from trusted brands, such as ours, in an attempt to deceive individuals into disclosing sensitive information, making payment to illegitimate accounts or engaging in fraudulent activities.

As your trusted partner, we take the security and privacy of our clients very seriously. In this context, we believe it is important to proactively address this issue and reinforce our commitment to your safety.

This email serves as a precautionary measure to raise awareness and encourage extra vigilance on your part. Please be advised of the following recommendations to help protect yourself against spoofing attacks:

Verify Communication: If you receive any communication (e.g., emails, phone calls, text messages, WhatsApp messages) pretending to be from Audemars Piguet, especially if it seems unusual or unexpected, we urge you to verify the authenticity of the sender and contact your usual AP contact before taking any other action.

Exercise Caution: Be cautious and pay extra attention to requests for personal or sensitive information, urgent demands for action such as payment, or offers that seem unrealistic. Legitimate communications from Audemars Piguet will never ask you to disclose confidential information via email or phone.

Contact Us Directly: In case of doubt or suspicion regarding any communication claiming to be from Audemars Piguet, please do not hesitate to contact us directly via our official phone number or email address listed on our website. Your usual point of contact and our clients support team are available to assist you and verify the legitimacy of any communication."

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