10
Ways To Recognize Spoof and Phishing
Emails
Spoofing
and Phishing are terms used to describe
the act of collecting personal information,
which is then used to commit identity
theft and/or internet fraud. There
are thousands of fake email that
are distributed every day looking
to collect personal information,
and this problem is growing at an
alarming rate
For
the moment there are a lot of such
emails in the internet world, and
the problem is increasing every
day, therefore we though it appropriate
to start Part 1 with some tips for
recognizing spoof [fake] emails.
10
Ways To Recognize Spoof And Phishing
Emails
Watch For Generic Greetings
Many spoof emails start with a generic
greeting like "Dear Customer"
or "Hi" without any name
attached. In fact if your first
name and last name don't appear
you should be very suspicious, and
not reply or click links attached.
Remember your bank or credit card
company know who you are, so they
will always address you by your
full name.
A
Fake Return Email Address
A spoof email almost always shows
a fake email address in the from
field. This field is very easy to
alter and thus spoofers take advantage
of it. However you can look to see
where the email really originated
from just by checking email properties.
Email
Is Urgent
Many spoof emails try to deceive
you by making the problem appear
urgent. Telling you that you must
update information by a specific
date, or your account will be closed.
Telling you your account has been
suspended until you provide them
with specific information. They
may also state that an unauthorized
transaction has recently occurred
on your account, or claim that one
of your credit accounts companies
is updating its accounts, and needs
information fast. This is your first
clue it is spoof.
Fake
links
Never use a link provided in an
email, unless you are positive where
it comes from. Always check where
a link is going before you click.
You can do this by moving your mouse
over the link, and it will show
the URL in your browser or email
status bar. Fraudulent links are
very dangerous, because if you click
on one, it could either take you
to a spoof website designed to collect
your personal data, or install Spyware
on your system, which we will discuss
later, or download a virus that
could disable your computer.
Emails
That Look Like Websites
Some emails will look like a website
in order to get you to enter personal
information. Remember Credit Card
Companies and banks will never ask
for personal information in an email.
Deceptive URLs.
Never ever enter your credit card
information from a link through
email. Always access it directly
from the company website. Remember
any site that requires passwords
should begin with https://www.company.com.
If
you see an @ sign in the middle
of a URL, there's a good chance
this is a spoof. Legitimate companies
use a domain name such as https://www.company.com.
Even
if a URL contains the word of your
Credit Company, it may not be a
Credit Company site. Many of these
links will take you to a website
that looks exactly like the original
site, but the web address will be
incorrect. Ebay and Paypal websites
are constantly forged creating a
dangerous situation. Always log
in to your Credit Card Companies
Site by opening a new web browser
and typing in the following: https://www.company.com
Misspellings
And Poor Grammar
If spoofers want to really fool
alert email recipients, they are
going to have to do a lot better
with their spelling and grammar.
Spoof emails often contain misspellings,
incorrect grammar, missing words,
and gaps in logic. Mistakes also
help fraudsters avoid spam filters.
Sites
That Aren't Safe
The term "https" should
always precede any website address
where you enter personal information.
The "s" stands for secure.
If you don't see "https,"
you're not in a secure web session,
and you should not enter data.
Pop-up
Boxes
Credit Card Companies will never
use a pop-up box in an email as
pop-ups are not secure.
Attachments
Like fake links, attachments are
frequently used in spoof emails
and are very dangerous. Never click
on an attachment as it could contain
a virus or download Spyware that
could be dangerous to your system.
Banks and Credit Card Companies
will never email you an attachment
or a software update to install
on your computer.
Set
Filters High
It's a good idea to keep your virus
software and spam filters very high,
and on top of that be your own human
filter only opening attachments
from people you know, never clicking
internal email links, and always
staying on top of protecting your
personal information.
If
you follow the above steps, every
time you have to enter personal
information, especially about your
financial accounts, you have a very
good chance keeping secure with
your personal financial data, and
if you receive a suspicious email,
always forward it to your Credit
Card Company and have them to verify
the Email.
About the Author
Morten Hansen has been working with
the internet business for several
years. For more useful Tips about
Spoof and Phishing visit our website
www.SoftwareTools4you.com
