Fraudulent emails are a reality for each of us. These fake emails are attempts by hackers to gain access to your email and personal information. Stories of stolen identity as well as attempts (sometimes successful) to hack business networks and servers have been reported as a result of fake emails.
These emails have become much more sophisticated than they have been in the past. You’d be hard pressed to easily recognize the new hacker emails that have been making the rounds. Here’s what to look out for.
Recently, an email came across our inbox that highlights what you should look for when it comes to avoiding these phishing expeditions.
1. First, there are guaranteed telltale signs this is not a legitimate email. To start, the sender is identified as “Microsoft Office” as if this is an official email from Microsoft. However, the email address listed from the sender is not a Microsoft email address. This means that the sender’s email was probably hacked and their address book was used to send out more phishing emails.
2. A second way to tell this email is fake is by looking at the link they are asking you to click. If you hover over the link without clicking on it, you can see the address they are trying to send you to. In this case, the link is directed to a Romanian website. This should send up red flags and you should not click on it.
3. Finally, one of the most obvious signs that this is a phishing scam is the fact that they ask you to provide your username and password. No one from Microsoft will ever contact you for this information.
As a takeaway from this, please make sure you report any questionable emails and get positive confirmation from the sender (if you know them) before you click on them. Most of the time, you will not know the sender and that will make the email even more suspicious. Sometimes, however, you will get a request from someone you know asking for you to share a file, click a link, complete a document, or send a wire transfer. Be cautious as these will probably prove to be scams.
Hackers are getting smarter and more advanced every day. Staying a few steps ahead of the bad guys is the best way to protect yourself and your company. You can contact RadiusBridge to assist you in designing and implementing a complete cybersecurity plan – to include on-going testing and training as threats evolve.