We are connected all day every day. Through text, social media, and email we are constantly getting bombarded with information and communication. With all of these avenues to connect, there also comes more opportunities for scam attempts by someone looking to take advantage.
Luckily, there are a few simple steps you can take to determine if an email or text is a scam.
Digital Security Company, Aura, provides the quick following questions to ask to spot a scam communication in seconds. When looking at a suspicious email ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you know the sender?
- Is this an unsolicited email from someone claiming to work for an organization like the FBI or IRS?
- Is the sender asking for sensitive information like personal details or financial information?
- Is the subject link strange, with unusual punctuation and characters?
- Does the sender’s email address and “from” name match? (You can hover over or click on their name to reveal their email address.)
- Is the sender’s email from a suspicious domain name? (i.e. ebay-support.com)
- Is the email asking you to click on a link, open a cloud storage document, or download a file?
- Is the sender using urgent or threatening language to get you to act?
- Is the entire email embedded on an image or iframe?
- Are there any grammatical or spelling errors in the email?
- Is the offer in the email too good to be true?
Taking a few seconds after receiving a suspicious email or text, can make a big difference.
If you do spot scam communication –
- Don’t click any links.
- For emails – click the “Report Phishing” button to notify your email provider of the scam. And block the sender.
- On your phone – block phone numbers from calling or texting.
- Report the scam on your messaging app.
- Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission through their Report Now Page.
Practicing smart technology privacy and security can improve your personal digital wellness. For more support check out the Student Life Student Wellness Center’s Digital Wellness information page and the Office of Technology and Digital Innovation’s IT for Students page.
If you are the victim of a scam, contact Student Legal Services for free and/or low-cost legal support.
References:
How To Tell If An Email Is From a Scammer [With Examples] | Aura
-Jordan Helcbergier, Wellness Coordinator