Scammers nowadays are getting craftier (and more convincing unfortunately), so the Lit Fibre team have put together a handy guide on things to look out for when you’re not sure about an email in your inbox. We’ve got your back, so here’s our top 5 telling signs for spotting scam emails. But always, if you’re in doubt, it’s better not to click through to any links.
Spelling and grammar slip-ups
Keep your eyes peeled for subtle errors in spelling and grammar, when you get an email in your inbox that doesn’t seem quite right. It’s usually one of the most common tell-tell signs that the email is not legit. For all the Spelling Bee winners out there, this one is for you to shine in!
The most urgent thing in the world
You’ve probably seen this around so many times – an email coming through claiming to be the most important thing in the world. Urgency is the oldest trick in the scammer’s book, for instance, saying that you’ve been locked out of your account, or an automatic payment will be going through, and you need to act as soon as possible. Chances are, if it was that urgent, you probably would have received communications beforehand.
Biggest red flag = asking for your information
Here’s where all your alarm bells should be ringing. Say for instance, you get an email claiming to be your bank, they’ll surely know your name, address, all your sensitive information, and wouldn’t ask you to confirm anything through an email. Right? If there’s anything you remember from this blog article, then it’s to keep an extra keen eye on dodgy links and attachments. A little life hack from your team at Lit Fibre = when you’re on your desktop, you can hover over a link and see where it’s trying to re-direct you!
Sender email doesn’t look quite right
Nowadays, some scam emails can look almost identical to a genuine one – same branding, same logo, same email format. But, the good news is that you can check the sender email, and this can the giveaway. Most likely that PayPal won’t be sending you an email from something like reza.clalucyankdia6@ gmail.com. We’re pretty sure PayPal wouldn’t send you updates from personal email accounts.
A completely impersonal greeting
Have you ever introduced yourself as customer, user, or maybe your@email.com? Probably not! However, that is the typical way a phishing (scam) email would great you. The sender should really know your name rather than send you an impersonal hello, especially if it’s that important?
The email scam detective test
This blog wouldn’t be complete without a few little examples of what a scam email could look like! Did you catch onto all five of the warning signs?
Test 1
Test 2
Test 3