How To Spot These 7 Common Email Scams

Email is the most common means of communication used by businesses to reach their clients or customers. This includes promotional messages, notifications regarding changes to service terms or warnings about a suspicious login to your account. This makes emails the perfect delivery system for initiating scams.

We have noticed 7 common email scams that you need to be aware of. Here we show how you can spot and avoid scammers’ tactics!

Phishing Emails

If you have ever used your email anywhere on social media you should be wary of this one. Phishing emails are the most common email scams and usually focus on customers of subscription services. So, please be careful whenever you receive emails about the status of your subscription unless you know there has been a change.

A phishing email has links in it that direct you to a fake site. The message of the email is always something urgent that you must not ignore such as: 

“Click here to update your account immediately”,
“Click this link to confirm your account details”, OR,
“Your account has been restricted, click here to resolve”.
 
The fake sites usually look legit at first sight, as they mimic pages of companies such as Netflix, PayPal, eBay, and Amazon.  

The scammers’ goal is to have you key in your username and password. Then, the scammers use it to access your real account for the real scam.

How to spot this scam: Always scrutinize the sender's email. You will notice that it is not from the official company email. A scam email message may not be addressed in your name. Official communications for services you subscribed to will address you by your official name. 

You could check the web address that the link goes to. You will notice it’s not the true address for the company it claims. Best not to follow the link from the email at all. Manually navigate there using your browser. 

Foreign Lotto Scam

How do you win a foreign lottery that you didn’t play in the first place? You don’t. It’s impossible. So, if you get an email from some foreign lotto claiming that you have won some money, DO NOT follow the link to claim your prize. It’s a scam. It could lead to:  

• Advance-fee scam where you are asked to pay processing fees for the money you have won.
• Phishing scam where you need to login with your personal and bank or payment details.
• Virus and malware where the link prompts you to download some software.

How to spot this scam: Google the name of the lotto. You will see if it’s a legit or scam site. Check the email address against the one given on the lotto site for communication. No legit lotto site asks for payment to process your money when they could just deduct whatever cost from the winnings.

Here are some reliable lottery sites for you. 

Survey Scam

Sometimes it’s your activity on social media that makes you a target for some scams. If you are active in political and social issues, you may receive an email asking you to participate in a survey on the issues that you engage in. And you will be tempted to click on the link to the survey. Don’t. You didn’t sign up to be included in it, where did they get your email? 

Scammers have their ways of getting your data. Take precautions when you work online or use social media platforms. Never engage in unwarranted requests to participate in whatever survey that come via email. The links could lead you to phishing sites or virus download prompts. 

How to spot this scam: The fact that you did not sign up for the survey is one big red flag. Don’t respond to the survey by clicking on the links given. 

PayPal and Banking Email Scam

Email notifications from PayPal or your bank can be cloned and sent to you by scammers. This scam is bad because it means the scammers may know you have an account at a certain bank or with PayPal! The email comes with urgency, “Do this or your account will be closed!” 

You know too well the electric current that surges through your body when you think your financial accounts may be compromised! We recommend that you DO NOT click on any link given. 

Your email scrutiny skills will be invaluable here. Check the sender's email if it is from a real company. Secure your logins by setting up 2-step verification, also known as multi-factor authentication. 

How to spot this scam: It has an urgent message with a warning that if you don’t respond you’ll lose something. Don’t fall for it. 

The Mystery Shopper Scam

Working from home came with its fair share of scams. “Get paid to do what you love!” is a work-from-home arrangement that pays you to be a hired online shopper! The email promises $200 to $300 per day to be a hired mystery shopper. It’s a whole course with materials that you must read first before you’re employed.

And that’s the catch - register and buy the course materials! This is pretty bad because registration means giving your real name and other personal details that can be used to scam you in other ways. Plus, you pay in advance for course materials that you have not seen and used to know their value. 

How to spot this scam: The scam works because it promises so much money to do an easy job. It's a get-rich-quick scheme. Simply being an online window shopper! Beware of requests to pay for registration in order for you to work! 

Nigerian Check Scam

A rich royal person with a royal title sends you an email. They ask for your help in retrieving their money in an overseas bank account. There may be a long story, telling why with all their wealth they cannot just hire a lawyer to do their business. They need your help and will reward you handsomely. You can help by giving them your bank details. The money will be received into your account first. And so you need to pay the transfer fees. 

If you make the mistake of paying, you get another email that the fees you sent did not suffice. There is a complication and you need to send more!

How to spot this scam: Any mention of a rich royal person whose title is given as Baron or Duke. The communication will comes down to you sending a check to process the transfer fees!

Sextortion Email Scam

You’ve heard of extortion, right? This is sextortion. It is extortion by using threats of revealing sexual evidence. You get an email from a scammer who claims they have webcam footage and screenshots from your computer, of you visiting a porn site!

That they installed keylogging software in your computer. They will share the evidence with your friends, family, and co-workers unless you pay. The price is set at $1500 to $4000 in bitcoin. 

Ignore such emails. If they had any real evidence, they would show it to you for proof. 

Tips to Secure your Email

• Install antivirus software with a web shield or internet security. This will help sieve out the phishing emails. Get protected for free with Trend Micro's tools.
• DO NOT give your email to suspicious sites in subscription to any service. Check that the company is legit first. 
• Never follow a link from an email message to a login window. Always use your browser and key in the site address manually. 
• Treat all email offers for free stuff as possible scams. Check the site’s trust- score on Scamadviser.
• Do not open email attachments from people you don’t know. Rather, mark them as spam. In future, they will be flagged.
• Check a site such as Have I Been Pwned to know if your email credentials have been compromised in a data breach.

In Case you Fall victim to an Email Scam

• Report to the real company that the scammers are impersonating, such as PayPal or your bank. Forward the scam email to customer service support.
• If you respond to a phishing email in the US, report to identitytheft.gov
• Report lotto scams to the Federal Trade Commission.