Emailing is an amazing tool that we often take for granted. In your childhood, you might have waited days or even weeks to receive a letter from a friend who lived far away, but now you can send them an email in seconds! Unfortunately, because it’s so easy to receive emails from just about anyone, scammers often use emails to trick unsuspecting victims into giving them money, access, or personal information. Scroll down to learn how to tell if an email is a scam so that you can protect yourself from dangerous phishing attacks.
How to Tell If an Email Is a Scam
Before we dig into it, we wanted to mention an important word that you’ll often come across when discussing this subject: phishing. No, the term doesn’t refer to the activity involving poles, hooks, and lures. Phishing is the “fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.”
As phishing scams become increasingly sophisticated, you may struggle to recognize suspicious emails. Use the following tips to protect yourself:
Just because an email appears to be from a trusted company, that doesn’t mean it is.
Scammers often try to make their emails look like they’re from a respectable, trustworthy source: a bank, a credit card company, a social networking site, an online store, etc. Remember that just because an email claims to be from a trusted company, that doesn’t mean it is. Be skeptical!
Phishing emails typically play into your fears.
To spur you to click on a link or open an attachment, the email will likely claim that something bad has happened and you need to take action right away. For example, these are common stories used in phishing:
- Your account has had a suspicious login attempt.
- There’s a problem with your account information.
- You need to confirm some personal information.
- You need to make a payment.
- You’re eligible for a refund.
- You’ve been given a special offer.
They may use a generic greeting.
Typically, if you have an account with a company, they will address you by your name when sending an email. If you receive an email that says something generic like “Hello, sir,” or “Hi, dear,” be on guard.
They want you to click on something.
Whether it’s a link or an attachment, scammers are often aiming for you to click on something in the email. So you should be suspicious any time an email prompts you to do this. Only click on links and open attachments from trusted sources. If you receive an email that asks you to click a link in order to confirm your personal info, view a bill, make a payment, etc., consider going directly to that company’s website instead of clicking on the link in the email.
Words are misspelled.
Take a close look at the email, especially the email address it’s from and any links it contains. Are any words misspelled? Sometimes a scammer will use a link that’s similar to the company’s actual link but misspelled or just slightly different. The email may also include grammatical errors or poor writing in general.
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Now that you know how to tell if an email is a scam, keep an eye out for suspicious emails and share your newfound knowledge with your friends and loved ones. Online scams can target anyone, so it’s important to exercise caution any time you receive an email from a new contact.
For more information about protecting yourself from email scams, reporting phishing attempts, what to do if you suspect you’ve received a phishing attack, and what to do if you responded to a phishing email, check out this helpful guide from the Federal Trade Commission.
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