Google Ads · Status at source date: Newsletter archive
Google Ads scam emails circulating: synchronisation-error pretext
Thomas Eccel and Tamás Geiger have both flagged a wave of phishing emails targeting Google Ads advertisers, using a "synchronisation error in your Google Ads account" pretext to trick recipients into clicking a malicious link that purports to fix the synchronisation issue. The emails are sophisticated enough to bypass standard spam filters and reach advertisers' primary inboxes.
What changed
The pattern is consistent with the broader scam wave covered through 2025–2026: criminals impersonating Google support to harvest credentials or install malware on accounts running material Google Ads spend. The synchronisation-error pretext is new but builds on the same attack pattern: urgency, technical-sounding language, a single "fix" link.
Why it matters for advertisers
For you, this means a clear rule for the next month: any email claiming a synchronisation error in your Google Ads account should be deleted unread. Google does not send unsolicited emails about synchronisation issues with click-through links. Worth flagging to teams and agency partners to prevent a costly credential breach during what is already a high-news-volume period.
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Original newsletter text and archive evidence
Google Ads scam emails circulating: synchronisation-error pretext
Thomas Eccel and Tamás Geiger have both flagged a wave of phishing emails targeting Google Ads advertisers, using a "synchronisation error in your Google Ads account" pretext to trick recipients into clicking a malicious link that purports to fix the synchronisation issue. The emails are sophisticated enough to bypass standard spam filters and reach advertisers' primary inboxes.
The pattern is consistent with the broader scam wave covered through 2025–2026: criminals impersonating Google support to harvest credentials or install malware on accounts running material Google Ads spend. The synchronisation-error pretext is new but builds on the same attack pattern: urgency, technical-sounding language, a single "fix" link.
For you, this means a clear rule for the next month: any email claiming a synchronisation error in your Google Ads account should be deleted unread. Google does not send unsolicited emails about synchronisation issues with click-through links. Worth flagging to teams and agency partners to prevent a costly credential breach during what is already a high-news-volume period.
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