We receive emails daily, and many of those emails aren’t legitimate. So many people become victims of scams from fake emails every year, and we must protect ourselves and warn others about these scams. Fake emails look like real ones, so it’s easy to fall for these scams. In this post, I’ll discuss how to spot fake emails and protect yourself from scams.
Check the Hyperlinks
One way to detect a fake email is if you see shady hyperlinks. Emails with hyperlinks that have misspellings or unusually short web addresses can be suspicious. Don’t click on hyperlinks from emails that look like this. Some hyperlink address names look like legitimate names but could link to malware sites if you’re not careful.
Watch Out for Overly Urgent Offers
Most emails include calls to action, but watch out for fake emails with overly urgent offers. The email may come from an unknown company, and won’t include your name as the recipient. Instead, it may appear as a mass mailing with “Bcc:” and hundreds of hidden names in the subject line. The sender also pressures you to quickly send your personal information or click on certain links within a specific deadline and warns that you’re missing out if you don’t accept the offer.
Fake IRS Emails
Some people have been scammed by emails that claimed to be from the IRS. Generally, the IRS won’t send you important notices through email. If the sender’s web address is service.irs.gov, this is likely from a scammer. The real web address of the IRS is www.irs.gov. Real correspondence from the IRS does not include a request for your Social Security number, passwords, PINs, or bank account numbers. Watch out for fake IRS emails that give you a link to claim your tax refund. You can learn the status of your tax refund at www.irs.gov.
Invoice Scams
These scams are also too good to be true. With these scams, the email will appear to mimic a real company you usually order from online. The scammers may change the bank account numbers or invoice numbers slightly, and the email address is a variation of the company’s real email address. The scammer’s hyperlink may also imitate the real company.
Do These Come From Free Email Addresses?
According to the website Aura, another sign of a fake email if it comes from email addresses of free email accounts such as Yahoo Mail, MSN, or Gmail. Many professional companies send you emails from email addresses with their companies’ website names in them. If you receive so-called business emails from email addresses that don’t come from the company’s domain address, it’s likely a scam.
Low Quality Logos and Images
Fake emails often have low-quality images and logos. Most successful companies are serious about their branding, and they use top-notch and recognizable pictures and logos. Some scammers attempt to imitate the logos of mainstream companies, which is something to be aware of.
Missed Package Scams
These are also common. In these scams, the email claims to be from legitimate carriers such as FedEx and UPS. The email will also say that you missed your package, and that it’s being held at a local facility. The email will also ask for an upfront payment in order to claim the package. Sometimes these scams show up in text messages. If the sender asks for your card number, address, or other personal information, ignore it.
They Also Come With Shady Attachments
Another characteristic of fake emails is that they come with shady attachments. Many of these attachments are unsolicited, and the email address also looks suspicious. If the message in this email sounds generic, watch out. Shady attachments also include questionable file extensions. Don’t open the attachment if it comes with file extensions exe, msi, scr, and pif. These often lead to malicious websites and viruses.
Basic and Generic Greetings
A lack of a personalized greeting is common in fake emails. Some examples of these greetings are:
- Dear Valued Customer
- To Whom It May Concern
- Dear Customer
- Sir/Madam
The greeting may also sound too formal for a regular business email message.
QR Codes in Fake Emails
QR codes are used to scan for coupons and to get information about certain companies. However, there are QR codes that show up in fake emails. When you scan these, they lead to malware or other questionable sites on your phone.
So How Can I Protect Myself?
Now that you know the signs of fake emails, it’s time to learn how you can protect yourself. Verify the legitimacy of the sender by typing in the company’s name in the search bar or contact the phone number listed in the email. It may not always be good to click on the website address that’s in the email because it might be malware.
Enable two-factor authentication on your email accounts. This adds an extra layer of protection and reduces your chances of getting scammed. Research how email scams work on websites such as the Federal Trade Commission, the FBI, local and state consumer agencies, and online videos from trusted cybersecurity experts. Pass along what you learned to elderly relatives since they’re often targeted by scammers.
Don’t save passwords, account numbers, PINs, or Social Security numbers to your computer and phone. Change your passwords every few months and always pick strong passwords that have a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
In our digital world, fake emails are everywhere, but you have the power to stay safe. Simply be suspicious of unexpected emails: always check the sender’s full address for anything weird, look for bad grammar or urgent, scary, or too-good-to-be-true messages, and never click links or open attachments if anything seems off. Instead, go directly to the company’s official website yourself. By combining a healthy dose of doubt with strong, unique passwords and two-step verification for your important accounts, you can easily spot these tricks and protect yourself online.