Since email became a thing for everyone, there have been people who use it to try to get money (or other things) out of others.
Many of the companies that provide our email are doing their best but would you recognise a scam email or email scams, if you received it?
Emails have been and remain a very popular way for hackers and nefarious computer users to try to get you to download some code onto your computer or click on a link.
Going to a fake website will often ask you ‘sign in’, but what you’re really doing is giving them your email, username and a password.
What ideally you need to do, is not click on that scam link.
Of course to do that, you need to know what to look out for, to find these types of messages.
This is a screenshot of my junk email folder.
These are messages that my email provider has automatically picked up on as being fake or unwanted messages.
Remember that your email company will do the best that they can, but things are changing fast, and you need to be vigilant as well.
Things for you to look out for:
Note: These are general guidelines to follow, and not a complete list. Remember – not all emails are fake!
Is it from a company that you know?
If the sender is a company that you’ve never heard of, then think carefully before clicking on any links.
Also be aware of the difference between the company name and product names.
For example Windows is a product from Microsoft, Windows will never be contacting you… 😅 Though it’s unlikely that Microsoft will either – at least not asking you to click on a link. They will normally send your reminders.
Check the spelling of the company name.
Perhaps it is a company that you know or have heard from – eg Mcaffee. You can see a few emails from them above – first they are McAfee. Note that both the M and A are capital on the real company.
Next check if they have added characters – for instance extra dots or dashes, or names.
Above you can see that I’ve got emails from Mcafee Securite (not Security) and Partner. The real company is known simply as McAffee.
The same goes for the email address the message was sent from:
support@amazan.com | support@amazon.ie.com | support@amazon-e.com
They are all examples of how at first glance an email address can look correct, but none of these are.
If you don’t see the full email address, click on the name (it’s fine to do that), or hover over it – carefully read what’s actually there, not just what you’re assuming.
Do you actually have an account or use that company?
In some cases it’s really easy to know that these are fake.
For example – I don’t have an account with McAfee. Therefore they would never send me a message stating that my account is due to expire.
Are you expecting an email?
Do you know when subscriptions are due for renewal? So many of these messages say it’s about to expire, make sure that if it is a company that you use, you know when they are likely to contact you.
Next Steps
The best tool that you have is to have in your cyber security essentials ‘pack’ is common sense when using the internet.
Be cautious of suspicious websites, emails, and messages. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Trust your instincts and stay safe online.
Don’t trust links in unknown or unexpected emails. Instead go to your web-browser and enter the address for the company. Sign in to check what’s happening with your account.
Better safe than sorry
For more tips take a look at my YouTube channel – Michelle Kaye
Other Data Security Posts
Let’s talk basic cyber security essentials
How to stay safe from email scams (current post)
What are good password practices?
Do you really need a password manager?
How many email addresses do you need?
Recent Posts
- Copilot in PowerPoint Can Build, Design, or Suggest. Here’s How to Choose
There’s no single right way to use Copilot in PowerPoint. Your Copilot presentation options really come down to three starting points: build it yourself and let Copilot handle the design, hand the whole thing over and let Copilot generate it, or ask Copilot to suggest a direction first if you’re not quite sure. I tested… Read more: Copilot in PowerPoint Can Build, Design, or Suggest. Here’s How to Choose - Getting Your PowerPoint Designs to Actually Match
If you’ve ever used Design Ideas in PowerPoint and never ended up with a consistent PowerPoint slide design, you’re not alone. Each slide looks lovely on its own, but look at them as a complete deck and it’s like four different presentations got shuffled into one file. I was reminded of this exact problem recently,… Read more: Getting Your PowerPoint Designs to Actually Match - A Simple Framework for Better Copilot Prompts
I’ve been testing Copilot presentation prompts a lot this month, and this time I wanted to answer a simple question: does putting more thought into your prompt actually make a difference, or is it all a bit of a lottery? Starting simple I opened Copilot in PowerPoint desktop and hovered over the Copilot icon, which… Read more: A Simple Framework for Better Copilot Prompts - Moving From Corporate to Self-Employed: How to Set Up Your Tech Step by Step
TLDR: Moving from corporate to self-employed doesn’t mean starting your tech setup from scratch. It means being deliberate: keep what works, drop what doesn’t, and learn properly the bits you never had to before. Get this right early and the admin side of self-employment stops feeling like a second job. If you’re moving from corporate… Read more: Moving From Corporate to Self-Employed: How to Set Up Your Tech Step by Step - Copilot for Presentations: Same Prompt, Two Results
I’ve been having a proper play with Copilot for presentations lately, trying to work out whether it can genuinely save small business owners time when building a deck. Short answer: it depends. Longer answer: it depends on where you open it, and even then, results can shift from one day to the next. Why I… Read more: Copilot for Presentations: Same Prompt, Two Results
how to stay safe from email scams, how to stay safe using email, how to avoid scam emails
3 thoughts on “How to stay safe from email scams”
Pingback: Let's talk basic cyber security essentials
Pingback: What are good password practices?
Pingback: How many email addresses do you need?
Comments are closed.