{"id":92616,"date":"2017-11-06T06:41:52","date_gmt":"2017-11-06T06:41:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=92616"},"modified":"2025-07-01T23:44:45","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T06:44:45","slug":"how-to-detect-fakescam-emails-and-avoid-phishing-attacks-hi-res-version","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/how-to-detect-fakescam-emails-and-avoid-phishing-attacks-hi-res-version\/","title":{"rendered":"(Hi-Res Version) How to Detect Fake\/Scam Emails and Avoid Phishing Attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you know if that email is really from who it says it is from? It might not be and if it isn’t you could be in a whole lot of trouble, from damaging malware to terrifying ransomware<\/strong>. Cyber-criminals are constantly pretending to be people we know or even companies and banks that we associate with<\/strong> so that they can phish for our data or access to our machines. Follow these tips to make sure they don’t cath you out…<\/p>\n

Click Here<\/a> to share on Facebook and protect your friends against Fake\/Scam Emails.<\/p>\n

Click Here<\/a> to share on Twitter and protect your followers against Fake\/Scam Emails.<\/p>\n

How to detect and avoid fake or scam emails<\/h3>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

1. Don\u2019t just trust the name. Always check the domain!<\/strong><\/h5>\n

If, for example, you receive an email that you think is from your bank but that comes from an email address like xxxx@secure.com<\/a> and not xxxx@yourbank.com<\/a> it is a scam email. You should look at the domain name after the @ rather than the name before it.<\/p>\n

2. Scam URLs<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Sometimes a scam email will invite you to click on a misleading URL. Before you click on any links in emails you\u2019re unsure of hover the cursor over the link. The hypertext will show the address of the link and if it has nothing to do with the company represented then you know it is a scam.<\/p>\n

3. Spelling mistakes<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Real companies take their spelling seriously so if you see any spelling mistakes you should think seriously before clicking on any links.<\/p>\n

4. The message asks for personal information<\/strong><\/h5>\n

The alarms should start ringing if you get an email that asks you for any personal information. Particularly bank account details, passwords or credit card numbers.<\/p>\n

5. But, I haven\u2019t done anything<\/strong><\/h5>\n

If you get an email telling you that you\u2019ve won a contest you don\u2019t remember entering then you\u2019re likely looking at a scam. Be weary of any email that offers congratulations for something you haven\u2019t done.<\/p>\n

6. The threat<\/strong><\/h5>\n

A common tactic of scam emails is to try and make you nervous so that you won\u2019t be thinking clearly. Think twice if you get an email saying, \u201cBeware, you\u2019re account will be blocked in 3 days if you don\u2019t take this action\u201d or other threats to that effect.<\/p>\n

7. Don\u2019t click on attachments<\/strong><\/h5>\n

If scam emails have attachments they will contain malware. Until you know that the email is safe do not click on any attachments.<\/p>\n

8. The standard greeting<\/strong><\/h5>\n

These days big companies are able to send emails with personalized greetings including your name and surname. If the email has a more general greeting like \u201cDear sir\u201d it was likely sent by somebody that doesn\u2019t have the resources of a legitimate company at the their fingertips.<\/p>\n

9. Absence of contacts<\/strong><\/h5>\n

It is normal for legitimate emails to include a range of contact details. A lack of legitimate contact details should set alarm bells ringing.<\/p>\n

10. Trust your instinct<\/strong><\/h5>\n

It is possible that the URL looks trustworthy, the email doesn\u2019t contain spelling mistakes etc. but something still doesn\u2019t feel right. In these cases, you should call the company in question or send them an email to verify that the email you\u2019ve received is legitimate.<\/p>\n

Follow me on Twitter:\u00a0@PatrickDevaney_<\/b><\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you know if that email is really from who it says it is from? It might not be and if it isn’t you could be in a whole lot of trouble, from damaging malware to terrifying ransomware. Cyber-criminals are constantly pretending to be people we know or even companies and banks that we associate … Continue reading “(Hi-Res Version) How to Detect Fake\/Scam Emails and Avoid Phishing Attacks”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9073,"featured_media":95037,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":1},"categories":[2441],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-92616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t