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10 Ways to Spot an E-Mail Scam
E-mail scams and phishing attempts evolve constantly, hoping to take advantage of the latest trends and current events. Although the e-mails change, the people behind them inadvertently send up the same warning signs again and again. We dug through mountains of spam to find the most prevailing trends. We've collected some actual scam e-mails and highlighted the warning signs to help you spot a hustle the next time one lands in your inbox.
1. Requests for personal information
No legitimate organization will ask for your social security, bank account or PIN number via e-mail – and none will include a link, sending you to a form to enter it. No matter how authentic these emails may look, ignore 'em.
2. Watch for typos or spelling mistakes
Scam artists are street smart, but many flunked basic grammar (or barely speak English). Look for mistakes like inappropriate hyphens or confusing "your" and "you're." If the note has multiple typos or grammatical errors, odds are it's not legitimate.
3. Clickable Web links in e-mails
Don't trust links to Web sites in e-mails. What might look like a legitimate address is often linked to a third-party site that looks official, but is actually run by thieves and scammers. These are the fast track to identity and financial theft.
4. 'Market research' or surveys that ask you for personal information.
Disguising scam e-mails as marketing is a classic ploy. You'll be asked to fill out a survey or enter a contest – requiring you to give personal information or "log on" to your account. Once you've done so, the scammers can use it themselves.
5. Stock tips from random people or companies
Got a "hot stock tip" via e-mail? It's probably a "pump and dump" scheme. The sender already owns shares – and when you and others act on the "tip," the stock price soars and he sells fast – leaving you with virtually worthless shares.
6. Attachments in e-mails from anyone you don't know
It should be common sense, but just in case, we'll remind you again: Don't open an attachment from someone you don't know – even if it appears to be your bank or credit card company. It's almost always a virus or spyware meant to steal your personal information.
7. Wordless e-mails
Some legitimate looking "e-mails" are actually just images. The danger with these is that clicking anywhere in the body takes you to a suspect Web site – where you may be fooled into entering personal information, or the scammer may slip spyware onto your machine.
8. Outdated information
Some scammers like to pose as technical- or customer support from a company you associate with – but fail to keep up with current events. For example, in the example above, the senders forgot that Earthlink bought Mindspring in 2000.
9. Red-flag phrases
If you see the phrases "verify your account," "you have won the lottery" or "if you don't respond within XX hours, your account will be closed," it's a scam – every time. Hit the delete button and don't look back.
10. Generic greetings
While you can't trust every e-mail that knows your name, you can definitely ignore the ones that start "Dear member" or "Hello friend." If your bank or credit card company is writing you, it knows who you are. So do your friends.
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Comments
88
Subscribe to commentsBlurgleOct 26th 2009 6:34AM
How fitting. The first for replies to this blog are all from slobbering spammers with websites that I'm sure are there to scam people. I'm amazed that moron who claims she's in love with Mr. Power Colon Blow or whatever her fake product is hasn't posted yet. Oh well, what can one expect, the spammers and con artists are so blatant that they will post on a website about how to detect scams. They should add this:
11) Never, EVER buy or go to any URL posted on a blog, 9 times out of 10 it's spam and/or contains a virus.
disgustedOct 26th 2009 7:24AM
Blurgle, you are so right. I don't understand why these posts aren't pulled. When there is the option to report them I always do, but never get any results. I wonder if it's this bad on Yahoo, MSN, etc. I may start getting my news and info there. I've had more Colon Blow than I can stand.
DCMGWHHOct 26th 2009 7:39AM
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Karen KinnaneOct 26th 2009 6:43AM
Don't forget the Nigerian bank scam. This happens a lot when you list an item for sale or offer to rent an apartment or house on Criagslist. You will get an email from a person who is definitely going to buy your item or rent your place. They will then send you a bogus check / money order FOR MORE THAN THE AMOUNT REQUIRED and will ask that you wire or send the difference back to them. THESE ARE INCREDIBLY EASY TO SPOT ONCE YOU'RE AWARE THAT THIS HAPPENS. When talking about buying what you're selling, they'll usually refer to it as "your item" and they'll invariable giving some song and dance about why they want your apartment but are currently living in the UK, etc. Now there are Americans who are trying this, and they will mention the name of the item you're selling, but it "will be picked up by my drivier, shipping company, etc" and you again must send back the extra amount from their check / money order. Don't fall for this!
davidOct 26th 2009 8:17AM
lol i get it they wnat our money so they don`t ahve to work that is easy and they think americans or stupid in the fact that most of the americans wnat soemthing for nothing if you send them a few hundred then they will send you millions now that is funny but yes i do get it and if say 1 million americans sned them a few hundred then they are millionars them selves and don`t ahve to do anything for it so yes i get it and like i posted i tell them sorry but if u think i am gonna send you any money then yuo are NUTSSSSSSSSSSSS lol
michaelOct 26th 2009 8:58AM
what all the phishing scam from FedEx, UPS & DHL..Bank drafts,ATM cards that they have and need security keeping fees(SCAM). and beware of Barclays Bank plc, HSBC. Central Bank Of Nigeria. Mrs Farida Warizi of Efcc of Nigeria. U.S.Customs & Border Patrol and HomeLand Security ...the list can go on forever!
JJJSWN2aol.comOct 26th 2009 7:08PM
michael you are right about what you are saying . I am getting email from all of them, even the FBI are in on it.
dudeOct 26th 2009 7:44AM
Is the Irony here lost on everyone but me?
An article all about web scams and in the comments section are a million different comments trying to get you to go to a website so they can con you.......
Also, the average American doesn't know the difference between "your" and "you're" or have any idea what proper grammar is, so that isn't really something to go by.
I'm sure I've illustrated my point by making some sort of grammatical error in this comment
CoopOct 26th 2009 9:34AM
dude (and I mean that literally for a change), that's exactly why I'm always telling my kids to pay attention to their grammar and spelling. Where bad writing once just made a person look somewhat ignorant, now it also makes them look like a Nigerian Internet scammer.
Byrd908Oct 26th 2009 10:42AM
dude -- I agree with Coop. If someone doesn't know the difference between "your" and "you're," then how did he graduate from high school? That's pretty basic English. Besides poor writing skills and poor grammatical usage, the other thing going on these days that makes kids look stupid is that most of them print everything, instead of writing things in cursive. We got letter grades in "handwriting" through the sixth grade. Has that gone by the wayside too? All of these things add up to create adults who can't see through scammers.
northside66Jan 15th 2010 9:00AM
Coop - Wow, "YOUR NICE." ..."YOUR a friendly guy"...that drives me crazy. The other ones: "I hope I don't loose my purse." and "Looks like it's Mother" (not so much the last one)
really sickening computer slang from hell:
'puter
'siggy
'addy
Are those terms used by people who just got their first computer and want some MySpace cred? - hurl -
I am thinking about starting a blog regarding the slow death of the English language. I would go looking for a horrifically botched comment, from some bulletin board or a particularly scary post from somewhere, giving it the "Anyways Award" of the Day. Lord knows I'd have enough to work with. =D
the day. Print this comment, so you don't loose it. Later!
Nik
lonnie bauerOct 26th 2009 8:04AM
why can't one of those computor geniuses develope a program that will burn up those spammers computor when they reply to a scam.
catandy6469Oct 26th 2009 1:35PM
probably because they are the scammers, (some of them anyways)
SunnyOct 26th 2009 8:01AM
I agree: Why bother to run a story like this one and then have the messge board littered with SPAM and scam messages??? Filters AOL....FILTERS
And Question:
Are there REALLY people out there who don't already know this stuf????
S. MyintOct 26th 2009 8:06AM
Internet providers do have the capabilities to identify spams. Instead of intercepting and destroying them, they let the spams get through.
It is a disservice to the public.
LindaOct 26th 2009 8:25AM
I agree with you, S.Myint. These providers do need to filter out this spam instead of sending it on through. We pay enough to use their services so we should be protedted. Why do we pay for protection we don"t get? I am fed up.
davidOct 26th 2009 8:08AM
i get the nigerian bank scam and i tell them if u think for 1 min. i am gonna send you any money your NUTS i don`t send my money anywhere i am sorry that people fall into that trap but i ammm not one of them and also they have a malware out tht will lock up your computer and will not let you open anything a page will open to put your credit info in and when or if you do they have it that page disapears and never to be seen again the only fix for this is to find combofix and malwarebytes transfer it to a thumb drive and run combofix first and then run malwarebytes and it will tace care of that problem
rwa325Oct 26th 2009 1:09PM
David: If you reply to any of these scammers, even to tell them you're too smart to fall for their scam, you are guaranteed to receive a flood of more phishing expeditions, because you have just let the scumbag know that he has hit a live emaill address -- and he will sell it to others.
EarthlyKaylaOct 26th 2009 8:12AM
It kills me that AOL doesn't care enough to ban and/or remove these spamming comments. Honesty, they're an eyesore. They need to do something about it before everyone starts swiching to Yahoo!, MSN, and other sites you get your daily [world] news from. I don't care about the fact that people will start swiching, but they will lose their business and it'll be all their fault.
silverrider2009Nov 2nd 2009 10:29AM
I have a yahoo address(7 yrs old)and an aol address(only a few months old). I get a lot of spam on the yahoo address especially the Nigerian and UK ones even with a spam filter and an automatic dump on bulk mail; absolutely none on the aol address.