Email-Scams: How to Detect One, Plus a few example hoaxes!
You open your email inbox and see tons of messages waiting to be reviewed. There are possibly thousands of them unchecked emails. You decide to randomly open and check the inbox. Clicking through the heaps of mails, you notice an email stating that you won 1 million euros in a lottery by BBC. You wonder whether this is true. Well, we give you the answer- this is absolutely fake, and an attempt to rob you off your money 'virtually'. Think logically. I mean, if you did not participate in any lottery (and genuine lotteries require money to participate), then how and why could you be winning a million euros?
Scammers are there in millions today. They all try their level best to loot you. I'm sure that if you had been using an email service for years and revealed it somewhere or to some friend, you have received fake emails and lots of spam. I'm going to give you tips on how to recognize a fake email, which tries to look like the real one.
Tip: #1: Scam mails never ask for password. Like, say you receive a email stating that your Facebook account needs to be confirmed again. But you know that you've confirmed it earlier, and Facebook never mails you again to confirm your account. It's fake! They send a link to a page and asks you to enter email and password; and once someone does that, he/she is shown an error page, and redirected to the original site.
#2: Most of the times, you will notice fake mails use wrong/grammatically incorrect sentences and wrong usage of words. Be aware that genuine companies will always be using correct sentences. There may be one spelling mistake in a email- what to do then? Most of the times, it won't be a fake one because a silly mistake might occur, even if it is from a genuine company. If in doubt, I advise you to check the sender of the email. Verify it is from the required domain.
#3: Emails announcing you won a lottery are scams. Do not reply with your financial bank details. One of the most popular of these kind of scams are known as the Nigerian 419 scams. It is one of the oldest scams to be in circulation. It started spreading in the early 80's. It claims that a foreign businessman died some years ago and left a million-dollar sum of money in his/her concerned bank account. The Bank claims that you're the next-of-the-kin of the businessman and asks you for your cell phone number, address, bank account number, and much more. They further instruct you to come to Nigeria without a visa. This is illegal, however the scammers bribe the airport officials. They now even threat you that they will kill you if you do not give them money. NEVER RESPOND TO ANY OF THESE MAILS. A picture of a Nigeria fraud is:
#4: Viral-chain emails and hoaxes: These emails look like they are real. They offer friendly "advice" about medical tips, first-aid, financial tips, and so on. Never apply these techniques in real life. It can be hazardous i n nature. A viral hoax claimed that during a heart attack, if you cough, you can save your life. THIS IS FAKE! If you cough, it'll put more pressure on the heart and the chances to survive reaches the bottom-level. If you have doubt, Google it for a hoax.
The above tips were for recognizing scam emails. I've cut short the list to the top 4. However, there are many other tips. You can read through them here.
#2: Most of the times, you will notice fake mails use wrong/grammatically incorrect sentences and wrong usage of words. Be aware that genuine companies will always be using correct sentences. There may be one spelling mistake in a email- what to do then? Most of the times, it won't be a fake one because a silly mistake might occur, even if it is from a genuine company. If in doubt, I advise you to check the sender of the email. Verify it is from the required domain.
#3: Emails announcing you won a lottery are scams. Do not reply with your financial bank details. One of the most popular of these kind of scams are known as the Nigerian 419 scams. It is one of the oldest scams to be in circulation. It started spreading in the early 80's. It claims that a foreign businessman died some years ago and left a million-dollar sum of money in his/her concerned bank account. The Bank claims that you're the next-of-the-kin of the businessman and asks you for your cell phone number, address, bank account number, and much more. They further instruct you to come to Nigeria without a visa. This is illegal, however the scammers bribe the airport officials. They now even threat you that they will kill you if you do not give them money. NEVER RESPOND TO ANY OF THESE MAILS. A picture of a Nigeria fraud is:
#4: Viral-chain emails and hoaxes: These emails look like they are real. They offer friendly "advice" about medical tips, first-aid, financial tips, and so on. Never apply these techniques in real life. It can be hazardous i n nature. A viral hoax claimed that during a heart attack, if you cough, you can save your life. THIS IS FAKE! If you cough, it'll put more pressure on the heart and the chances to survive reaches the bottom-level. If you have doubt, Google it for a hoax.
The above tips were for recognizing scam emails. I've cut short the list to the top 4. However, there are many other tips. You can read through them here.
Comments
Post a Comment