Scammers are using ‘phishing’ e-mails as the most frequent ways to steal your money or identity,
What is a ‘phishing’ e-mail?
A ‘phishing’ e-mail is designed to look like it comes from a well-known reputable company (Amazon, PayPal, Verizon, AT&T, your bank, your credit card company, the IRS, etc.). The e-mail uses social engineering (appeals to greed or fear) to get you to do what the scammer wants:
- Click a link to validate your account (this is how the scammer steals your sign-in credentials)
- Call a phone number to get a refund (the scammer talks their way into your computer and usually tries to up-sell you to an expensive support package)
- Replay with your personal information (this is how they steal your identity)
- Almost always, the scammer puts snooping malware on your computer.
How can you identify a ‘phishing’ e-mail?
1. Hover your mouse over the FROM address in the e-mail. If the sender’s e-mail address does not seems to match the company identified in the body of the message, it is a scam.
2. Hover over LINKS in the body of the e-mail message. If the website URL does not match the company identified in the body of the message, it is a scam.
3. Check for misspellings and bad grammar. The senders usually are from another country and their English is not very good. Bad spelling and grammar indicate it is a scam.
A little detective work to identify ‘phishing’ e-mails can protect your identity, stop malware, and keep your hard-earned money in your account.
I am committed to protecting your computers and providing value at an affordable price. Thank you for allowing me to keep your computers healthy. Contact us at 239-567-0104 if you have questions or need computer help. Be well.
