Email Scams: Six Email Messages You Do Not Want to Click
Your bulk email box does a pretty good job of separating good and wanted email from the scams of unscrupulous spammer. Unfortunately, it is about as effective as a condom. At least 1% or email scam spam makes it into your inbox. Here are six email messages you do not want to click.
Email Scam message #1: Your account will be suspended!
The fact that the email starts with “dear user” should be your first clue that it is not real. Your second clue will be the fact that your email address is not in the “To” space. Report and delete this email.
Email Scam message #:2 Dear Partner:
Any email that starts with the words “Dear Partner”, “Confidential”, “Business Proposals”, or anything of the like is very likely to be a Nigerian-type scam letter. No one is going to pay you generously to receive money on his or her behalf. However, they will go as far as trying to kill you if you take their invitation to travel to Africa or wherever they are. Mostly likely, you will lose a lot of money. http://www.quatloos.com/ has a museum of sample letters to avoid.
Email Scam message #3: Part time job offer:
Do not accept a job from someone who contacts you and you cannot see, feel, and touch. Especially do not take a job or provide employment information to someone who solicits you. One work from home opportunity asked for my full name, address, date of birth a photo Id and other items that would put me in danger of identity theft.
Email Scam message #4: Stock Purchase:
If someone contacts you to purchase a stock who is not your stockbroker, run the other way. This scam is set up to inflate the value of a stock, so they can cash out and walk away before the stock price plummets. These emails also have a strange occurrence you should note. At the bottom of the email also includes a bet of a poorly written story. I have never quite understood why, but it is obviously unprofessional.
Email Scam message #5: Apply for a loan:
Firstly, No matter how much money your need, and for what, do not, I repeat do not; give your personal information to someone who solicits you. Secondly, do a simple link test* to see if the email is from a loan officer at all. There are many email scammers whose sole purpose is stealing your financial identity. This is one of many ways they will attempt to defraud you.
Email Scam message #6: Hello:
This simple greeting mean a minor annoyance or a huge pain in the neck. A message that starts with Hello could be anything from a virus to an invitation to have sex. As a woman, I am really not interested in answering a lonely housewife’s invitation. You might want to avoid it as well.
*To test an email message for the possibility that it is a scam you should right click on the link to see the email address you are being directed to. Hit the properties menu. My last paypal message, for example directed me to a free Google page. If it were legitimate, I should have been taken to a secure (https) paypal page.
