The COVID-19 pandemic has forced most organizations to leave their offices and shift more toward working remotely and from home. This is causing a bigger reliance on email to communicate within the organization and, as such, more risk for email phishing, scams, and other fraud.
In just one week in April, for example, Google has shut down 18 million daily COVID-19-related phishing emails, according to The Verge. Scammers are using the global pandemic and people’s fear, and many are falling for it.
Today, phishing emails often look legitimate enough to pass the “seems legit” test that for many email owners, is the only real defense they have. True, not every phishing email gets to its victim. Of around 3.4 billion fake emails sent daily, only a small portion gets opened, and of those, even fewer result in an email owner taking an action like revealing his login credentials to the scammer.
Unfortunately, it happens, and it can happen to you, too. This is why you must know how to identify a phishing email to avoid it.
Here are 8 tell-tale signs that you’ve received a phishing email:
- It Doesn’t Call You By Your Name
If the email starts with “Dear Sir or Madam” or “Dear Customer,” you shouldn’t trust it further than you can throw it (and you should throw it in the trash).
Legitimate companies you have an online account with will always greet you by your name, for example, “Dear John” or “Hi Sam,” and not in this impersonal way.
- It’s Sent From a Strange Email Domain
Does the email address seem a bit off? That could be a sign of a phishing email.
For instance, spot the difference between these two emails:
- rick@paypal.com
- rick@paypal100.com
Can you tell which is the actual PayPal email and which is fake? Don’t worry; I’m “100” % sure you’ll spot it.
However, don’t rely only on this method to spot phishing emails, as some companies will use more custom email domains, and others will use a different email provider from the ones you may be used to, like Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook. For instance, if you see @Mautic.com at the end of an email, you can be sure it is more than secure and legitimate. (Here’s how to send a secure email yourself).
- The Email is Just One Big Link Forcing You to The Scammer’s Website
By now, scammers know that most, if not all, people send fake emails to at least read the email and check if the address looks legitimate before clicking on the link.
But what if the entire email is one big hyperlink? People accidentally or absentmindedly click somewhere in the email they don’t expect a link would normally be, and, poof, they’ve downloaded malware or are sent to a malicious website.
The lesson here is don’t click anywhere if the email seems suspicious but the spam folder.
- That’s Not How You Spell That!
One thing is certain about email scammers. They’re not in it to win any spelling contests.
An email filled with bad spelling and grammar is one of the most obvious signs of it being a fraud. Legitimate companies know how to spell “free shipping included,” for instance.
- Sir, There’s an Unsolicited Attachment in My Email
Around 23% of scam or phishing emails contain a malicious attachment, says F-Secure. These are usually .doc, .xls, .pdf, .zip or .7z.
Legitimate companies will very rarely send you unsolicited email attachments to download. Instead, they’ll redirect you to their website and a page where you can safely download the file.
Speaking of sending attachments, since we often have to send documents online, here’s how to send them securely over the Internet.
- Please Don’t Panic
Imagine this. You wake up in the morning, and before you even drink your first cup of coffee or shower, you open your email. The first email reads:
URGENT ACTION NEEDED! YOUR ACCOUNT WILL BE SUSPENDED SOON!!!!
CLICK HERE NOW!!!
Wow. Instant wake-up call. Better do what they tell me, right?
Wrong. That’s what the scammers want you to do. To panic and not think. If you’re unsure, go to the company’s website (but use your browser and not the link in the email), log in to your account, and check if everything is okay (if you have any missing payments and such, for example).
- Poor Quality Images
Another way to spot a phishing email is to look at the images, especially the logo. If it’s low-resolution, fuzzy, pixelated, and overall poor quality, you probably have yourself a fraud email there.
Scammers rarely bother to create quality images themselves but instead, copy/paste the company or bank logo and thus end up with low-res images. If you see an image or logo like that in your email, you should probably chuck it in the trash or spam.
- Check the Header, From: and To:
If you can’t remember ever giving your email address to the company sending you an email, there’s a high chance that it’s a scam, and you should delete it.
You should also check the From: and To: fields. Does the Form match the real address or not? If it doesn’t, it’s not a legitimate email. Is To: sent to many people you don’t know or are not associated with, or does it say ”undisclosed”?
If the email is not addressed directly to you by name, it’s not legitimate.
- A Legitimate Company Should Never Ask for Your Sensitive Information Over Email
If the email is in any way asking you to reveal some sensitive information such as your username and password, credit card information, social security number, tax numbers, or any other personally identifiable information of that kind, don’t hit “reply”, hit “delete.”
Legitimate companies will never request your sensitive information this way.
Conclusion
Phishing and scam emails cost companies and individuals billions. Sometimes, they’re obvious as Nigerian email scams, but other times, they’re more sophisticated and harder to spot.
However, if you watch these 9 signs, no scammer will get you on the wrong foot.
To be sure that your email is private and safe from hackers and scammers, sign up for Mautic encrypted email for free today.