How to avoid the email scammers

The number of scam emails people receive nowadays is increasing dramatically, and they are becoming more and more believable and sophisticated.There are a number of spoof (scam/phishing or whatever) emails doing the rounds at present, such as:

• Facebook (asking users to click on a link to receive updated passwords)
• Ebay (asking you to pay for an item you never ordered)
• UPS/DHL (providing a link to get details of an imaginary delivery)
• Various Banks (asking you to update your details by clicking on a link)
• Paypal (informing you of limits being placed on your account and asking you to click a link to fix)

These are only a selection of the ones we have received lately, but we have noticed that these are becoming more and more believable, and are designed to look more and more like they have come from the company in question.

To avoid being scammed, please follow these simple rules:

• Do not provide any personal details if they are requested. Your bank, Paypal, etc will never ask you for personal details in an email. If you have any doubts at all, load your browser and log into your account, as you are totally safe in there to change details if they are actually necessary.
• Never click on the link provided on an email, unless you are totally sure who it came from. Even a link looks authentic, it may well be trying to direct you somewhere else entirely. Again, if you are unsure, log into your online account or telephone the company involved.
• Never fill in a form via email which asks for personal details. Your bank (or anyone else) will never ask for personal details in this fashion. Never give financial details in reply to an email, only ever provide these on a secure website.
• Always log into any online accounts reasonably regularly, that way any queries can be dealt with online and there should be no need for emails telling you to do anything.
• Regularly check your bank and credit card statements to ensure that all transactions are legitimate. If you see anything which may be suspicious, contact your bank/credit card company immediately to get this investigated.
• Always report spoof emails (also referred to as a phishing email), as it helps the company in question to rid us of these scammers. Ebay, Paypal, etc all have email addresses to forward these emails to (eg spoof@ebay.com) and these can be found by checking your online account.
• Always run regular scans using your Internet Security package, as this could catch any keyloggers, etc which might have found their way onto your PC.

Always remember, if you are online and going to provide any financial details (such as a credit card etc), ensure that the web address begins with https://…. rather than the standard http://…. (the ‘S’ tells us that it is a Secure site you are logged into). This can, of course, be fooled by some of the more sophisticated scammers, but as a general rule, it should be adhered to.

The vast majority of these scammers rely upon the general carelessness of internet users, so protect yourself, be vigilant, and do not make their job any easier than it needs to be.

If you want further information, please contact us.

References & further reading:

• The Anti-Phishing Website
• Wikipedia
• Fight Identity Theft
• About Identity Theft