We’ve all been there haven’t we? You log into your emails and notice an email from your bank, PayPal, Apple or something similar requesting private details from you. It can be extremely frustrating if you don’t think anything of it and respond to the email with the information they have requested. Then of course you end up with immense problems; it’s not just necessarily bank details they request but any personal information that is passed on to the wrong people is never a good thing. You may believe that visibly you would notice if these email scams as they came through, however I have always been overly watchful with my own emails and I know I have questioned a few myself.
Luckily, there are plenty of red flags to look out for when you receive these emails and we have many tips for you to bear in mind whenever this does occur. Scammers can be very smart when editing the email address, to the point where you wouldn’t even question it as it would appear just as the main company name supposedly would be from. However, just because they have managed to create a plausible sender name, the email address behind it can be particularly unusual. Always right click on the sender name to double check the email address you have received it from.
One vital tip to look out for is the contact details at the bottom of the emails. If the websites are not clickable, something is not right. If you are already slightly concerned about the email and don’t feel entirely comfortable clicking on the links, just hover your mouse curser over the links and in the bottom left corner of your browser, the web address will appear. They will also tend to have varied copyright dates throughout the emails so be aware of these. Spelling and grammar errors are also hugely common for these scammers and that should be a definite warning sign when reading through. Professional and distinguished companies would not allow such errors in their emails.
As said at the start of this, many of these email scams will be requesting personal details. The top tip with this is, do not do it. Even if they ask for security questions, do not answer if these emails appear for no reason in particular. Security questions appear if you have tried to log in to something a number of times and failed, which you will be fully aware about on the website you are currently attempting to log into. Certainly do not email any personal numbers, such as credit card number, national insurance, pin number etc. Your bank will always confirm that they will never ask for such details via email. So, if you do feel worried that your bank is in fact asking for information from you, give them a phone call to confirm anything.
‘Fill this out NOW to win a fabulous 5* holiday!’
‘Important to respond as soon as possible’
‘Input details RIGHT AWAY to win a brand new phone!’
‘A limited time only’
‘No time to waste!’
Scammers want to rush you into completing any information they have requested but don’t fall into the trap of these shifty ways to make you believe you’re signing up for a fantastic deal. Take all the time you need to find out all the information you need to confirm it is legitimate.
To sum up, you never want to risk putting anything out there to scammers. Be on the lookout at all times!
If you are concerned about your business IT security and would like to have a chat with us please contact us for a chat.