14 March 21, 07:58
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How to Recognize and Report Email Fraud. Safety Tips for Efficient Email Fraud Protection.
For me to further detail the principles of email fraud protection it is necessary to define what exactly email fraud attacks are. To provide you with the simplest and clearest answer, they are highly-motivated, low-level attacks used to impersonate people in authority. They exploit human nature for the purpose of stealing money or sensitive information. Or both. This makes them difficult to trace and stop using conventional security tools or regular email fraud protection services.
Thus, we can affirm that email fraud protection is a series of cybersecurity measures you can take to protect and fast detect email impersonation attacks.
Remember – no organization or individual is immune to email fraud. Even some of the most tech-savvy companies, the ones you’d think are most prepared, have been victims themselves. In 2019, Evaldas Rimasauskas pleaded guilty to scamming Google and Facebook after tricking them into sending payments to his bank accounts. He managed to steal no less than $123 million. And the list goes on.
If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of efficient Email Fraud Protection, make sure you check out the articles written by my colleagues. My personal favorites are:How to Recognize and Report Email Fraud
- Elena Georgescu’s take on CEO Fraud Emails and Business Email Security;
- Alina Petcu’s Email Protection analysis;
- Ana Dascalescu’s advice on Detecting and Preventing Phishing;
- Vladimir Unterfingher’s rundown on Email Encryption;
- Bianca Soare’s recommendations on Protecting Your Business Against Email Threats.
To identify a fraudulent email, you need to keep an eye out for a few elements that I’ve listed below:
#1. Email address
You should always check the email header and the “from” address to identify the sender and find out where the message was really sent from.
#2. Logo
While a phishing email may contain the actual logo of the alleged company, fraudulent emails may use one that appears stretched or distorted.
#3. Email greeting
Some emails may not address the member by name. Or, there may be no name mentioned at all.
#4. Spelling
When checking an email, you should always look high and low for misspellings, grammatical mistakes, or punctuation errors that can help identify phishing emails.
#5. Legitimacy
Another common phishing technique is to include supposedly legitimate links in the email’s body to look like they redirect to a legit website. If you take a closer look, you’ll realize that the link in question may actually redirect you to a corrupted website that has nothing to do with the company the email is pretending to be from. Always check the legitimacy of the links – you can easily do that by pointing the mouse cursor over it. When it comes to mobile devices, extra care needs to be taken when clicking on email links. Always check the site by verifying the website address in the address bar.
If you have identified a fraudulent email, there are multiple ways you can report it:For more advice on how you can protect the integrity of your email account, make sure you check out my colleague Elena’s article on How to Report Email Fraud.
- forward the suspicious email to your IT admin or cybersecurity team and let them know your concerns;
- if you’re receiving emails in the name of a certain company, make sure you reach out to them by forwarding the suspicious email and let them know about the scam.
- notify the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3);
- forward the phishing emails to the S. Federal Trade Commission’s Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) at reportphishing@apwg.or or spam@uce.gov;
- report scams to your state consumer protection office;
- report Social Security Administration (SSA) imposters online to SSA’s Inspector General;
- report Internal Revenue Service (IRS) imposters to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), at 1-800-366-4484.
Safety Tips for Efficient Email Fraud ProtectionWrapping It Up…
- Make sure you set your browser to block pop-ups and enhance its security settings;
- Regularly download security patches and updates. Make sure you enable automatic updates so you have the latest fixes to issues as they arise. Usually, the most recent versions of an OS have the most up-to-date security features;
- To prevent unauthorized access, make sure you disable “File and Printer Sharing” on your computer;
- If you’re not using it, it’s best to turn off your computer. You can’t be hacked or infected if you’re not connected to the Internet. Better safe than sorry, right?;
- Create a strong password (unique passwords with a combination of words, numbers, symbols and both upper and lower-case letters are the best choice);
- Never use personal details such as your birth date, phone number, or family member names;
- Don’t use the same password for multiple accounts;
- Never store your passwords list on your computer;
- Enhance your wireless network security (since wireless routers have very insecure settings, other people could access your Internet account quite easily. Therefore, you should find new ways to connect more safely – and the best option is to create a strong password);
- Keep a SPAM filter, anti-virus software, and firewall to help identify and block suspicious emails;
- Use encryption software to protect the data that’s stored on your devices.
With the proper cybersecurity tools, you can take your email fraud protection measures one step further. Our Heimdal™ Email Security is an innovative spam filter solution that adds an advanced layer of analysis to your platform’s pre-existing screening. Due to this, it also acts as a malware protection system that enhances your digital defenses.
To protect your channels of communication from more advanced social engineering attempts, you will also need Heimdal™ Email Fraud Prevention. This revolutionary communications protection system alerts you to fraud attempts, business email compromise (BEC), CEO fraud, and impersonation.
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