SPOTTING THE RED FLAGS OF AN ONLINE SCAM

May 1, 2023

INTERNET SCAMS ARE EVERYWHERE; it seems like you can’t visit a website these days without encountering fraud. Scammers are becoming smarter, refining their methods and strategies daily to trick people. When a tactic works, they polish it to double the rewards. After working in the same ‘industry’ for so many years, they have discovered some strong swindles few people can detect. If people don’t learn how to protect themselves from scams, these fraudsters will remain in business. 

WHAT YOU NEED TO WATCH OUT FOR

URGENT OR THREATENING LANGUAGE
Pressure to respond quickly or threats of closing your account or taking legal action.

REQUESTS FOR SENSITIVE INFORMATION
Links directing you to login pages, requests to update your account information, or demands for your financial information.

ANYTHING TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE
Winning contests you’ve never entered, prizes you have to pay to receive or inheritance from long-lost relatives.

UNEXPECTED EMAILS
Receipts for items you didn’t purchase or updates on deliveries for things you didn’t order.

INFORMATION MISMATCHES
Incorrect (but maybe similar) sender email addresses, links that don’t go to official websites, and spelling or grammar errors, beyond the odd typo, that a legitimate organization wouldn’t miss.

SUSPICIOUS ATTACHMENTS
Attachments you didn’t ask for, unusual file names, and uncommon file types.

UNPROFESSIONAL DESIGN
Incorrect or blurry logos, image-only emails with no highlightable copy, and company emails with poor quality formatting (or none at all).

IF YOU SPOT ANY OF THESE RED FLAGS IN AN EMAIL don’t click any links, don’t reply or forward, and never open attachments. If you’re unsure, we recommend reaching out to the sender if you’re familiar with them through a different channel – retrieving the telephone number or email from their official website, for example.