Scams and Phishing… the scourge of modern day life
Online scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, resembling a dynamic ecosystem in which perpetrators continually adapt their tactics while individuals and organizations develop new methods of protection. Fraudsters analyze patterns of trust, replicate familiar signals, and take advantage of minor vulnerabilities. With each newly implemented safeguard - whether verification procedures, alerts, or heightened skepticism - scammers devise corresponding strategies to circumvent them. Phishing emails imitate trusted sources, fraudulent websites replicate established brands with precision, and social engineering leverages urgency and emotion. Consequently, such scams are increasingly difficult to identify and avoid.
One of the best videos laying out how to analyze a scam email pretending to be from Squarespace.
Treat the online world cautiously - always verify sources, question urgent or tempting offers, and remain skeptical even after validating information. Vigilance and verification are key to avoiding fraud. Stay alert and don’t let overconfidence put you at risk.
We all see the warnings and you have probably subscribed to various newsletters on how to spot scam/phishing emails, but here is a general list just in case:
Key Indicators of a Phishing Email
Check the Sender Address: Look for slight misspellings or unfamiliar domains. If the senders name on the email looks like it’s from a legitimate source but the domain is some different. The company or service you are using would NOT send an email from a domain other than their own (e.g. - @gmail.com, @outlook.com, or any string of letters or numbers are fake).
Urgency, Threats, Deplatforming or Billing issues: Be wary of messages claiming immediate action is needed to avoid account suspension or to claim a prize. You are most likely not heir to a throne… remember those scams?
Look for Generic Greetings: If the email were legit, they would use your name instead of "Dear Customer", "Hello User", “Hi friend”, etc.
Look for Poor Grammar and Spelling: While AI has improved, errors still signal a scam. Many of these scams are coming from overseas and the translation from whatever their native language is to English, or whatever your language is, is not updated regularly.
Unexpected Links/Attachments: Hovering over links reveals where they really go. If the message is from Squarespace for example, the link should be a Squarespace link. Again, check the spelling in the link. DON’T EVER CLICK SUSPICIOUS LINKS OR ATTACHMENTS (e.g.- like .exe, .zip files, or even odd PDFs or images).
Requests for Personal Info: Never share passwords, SSNs, or financial details via email.
Unusual Requests: Legitimate companies won't ask you to update payment info via a link in an unexpected email.
How to Protect Yourself
Hover and Inspect: Before clicking, hover your mouse over links to see the actual URL. Doing so will immediatly show if this is a potention scam or phishing attempt. If it looks like it remotely may be legit then…
Verify Directly: If an email seems suspicious, go to the company's official website, or them using a trusted number (not one from the email) to confirm, or even search for the legitimacy by searching the message title or business. I have actually received spam/phishing emails sent from legitimate business but after some sleuthing found they themselves have posted blogs warning they have been hacked or their identities have been duplicated in some way.
Use Security Tools: Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) and keep your software updated.
Report and Delete: Always use your email client's "Report Phishing" or "Spam" button and then delete the message. This enables systems to better flag these types of emails and hopefully, one day, they will be able to effectively combat this practice.
No matter what tool you use, make sure it is in place to protect your assets. Here’s a great place to start.
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