Everyone thinks they are too smart to be conned. We all know that emails that come from foreign princes willing to share their riches with us but first need our banking information are a scam. We know not to open any email attachments from suspicious looking senders.
However, phishing attempts have become more sophisticated and anyone can be tricked. Here are some red flags we train VMS employees to look for:
- Emails looking for general information (email, fax or phone number), specific technology or more information about products/services advertised.
- Emails soliciting business and marketing services.
- Students looking for help, peer reviews or comments.
- Emails that target an employee’s ethnicity.
- Emails with spelling and grammar mistakes.
- Generic email addresses (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo) and foreign email addresses (IN, RU, IR, CN, CU.)
- Emails with no job titles or contact information.
- Remember do not open attachments or hyperlinks from unknown sources!
- Scammers can recreate your company’s email signatures and logos, or even mimic a current co-workers email address. Be suspicious of emails from a co-worker asking for any form of money, check or credit card information.
Think before you click. Think before you respond. And remember to report any suspicious emails to Defense Security Services.
