Negosentro | How to Spot an Email Phishing Scam |Everyone thinks that they are smart about data security, but even the smartest among us have found themselves tricked (or very nearly tricked) by an email phishing scam. Ranging from clumsy, obviously fake emails to detail and smart official-looking contacts, they are one of the most common criminal conspiracies around.
The most common of these scams involve so-called ‘Nigerian Princes’ or similar variations. Believe it or not, but they cost the public over $700,000 a year. Others are far more sophisticated, and can often seem just like the real thing. Nonetheless, with a lot of vigilance, you can consign these scams to the past. Simply follow the four steps that we have outlined for you below.
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Update Your Email Settings
As well as being potentially dangerous, these emails are just straight-up annoying. Getting updates from the long-lost friends of Gaddafior an American soldier stuck abroad but with millions to his name daily can suck up a lot of time. Nonetheless, you can quickly make these emails enter your spam folder or immediately deleted by just updating a few settings in your email address. Soon you’ll barely see them.
Check the Email Address
One of the biggest giveaways that the email you are being sent isn’t genuine is the email address it comes from. An email from an official government agency, for example, is almost always going to end in .gov, making you know it’s secure. Emails asking for your info from personal addresses or addresses with a lot of numbers at the end are almost always fake. Always double-check the website of the place they purport to be from; these places are practically sure to list the email addresses that they use.
Ask for Verification
If someone claims to be from a bank or a government agency, you can always ask them to provide some form of verification or ask to talk to them on the phone. The chances are that you will never hear from them again. This should be the last step; in most cases, it is better to ignore the matter entirely unless you receive an official letter or email from a real agency or government institution.
Never (Ever) Give Away Personal Information
This one is really important. Nobody official is ever going to ask you casually for personal information such as your social security number or bank details. If remotely in doubt, ignore and block the person emailing you. Worst case scenario of this choice is that you offend someone; the worst-case scenario of giving away personal information could be financial ruin.
