Why Your Email Account Could Put You at Risk

Cybercriminals are always finding new strategies to target their victims and commit their crimes. Some of these cyberattacks can even come from places that we might think we know and trust.

Cyberattacks often come from fake emails. However, these fake emails are not always easy to spot. Once you have interacted with them and you realize that it is a scam, it may be too late.

It is important to learn how to identify these email phishing scams. This will prevent you from being caught out by a cyberattack. If you fall for one of these scams, you risk a lot of crimes being committed against you, and it could also cause you a lot of headaches in the future.

How Cyber Criminals Can Target Your Inbox

We have all seen spam emails in the past. Oftentimes these go straight to your junk folder and you never bother checking them. However, in some cases, we might see the odd email from a company that we might know.

It could also be an email about something important that needs our attention. For example, it might be an email about having to update your Netflix billing details. While this might seem like a normal request from a company such as Netflix, it could also be a scam.

The truth is that cybercriminals have become extremely clever. They know that people won’t fall for the same old tricks. Instead, they have developed new strategies, along with advancing technology to catch people out.

You might be wondering how hackers got hold of your email address in the first place to send these phishing emails to your inbox. In the majority of cases, it’s because they buy email addresses from others or they have set up a fake website to capture your email address.

When you sign up for a subscription or a newsletter or even leave your email address somewhere on the internet, scammers can get hold of it. Some websites might sell people’s data and email addresses to cybercriminals after signing up for their website.

In other cases, cybercriminals will create their own website to capture email addresses. This can be anything from news to sports or even entertainment. In reality, we simply can’t trust every website out there.

How to Spot Phishing Attempts

These days phishing attempts may not be as ridiculous as they once were. While no one is falling for the Nigerian Prince scam anymore, there are still some really questionable attempts that are obvious scams.

However, the ones you should be worried about are the ones that have been carefully crafted to catch you out. They might not even directly ask you for your banking details or your social security number.

Instead, they disguise themselves as a company that you recognize, trust, and perhaps even use every single day. This makes the scam more believable, and more likely to catch people out.

For example, there is an extremely popular email phishing scam that represents Netflix. You receive an email from what looks to be Netlflix stating that your account is on hold and you need to update your billing details.

However, once you click on the link you can either be taken to a fake website where the scammers will get hold of any information you type in, or malicious software will be installed on your device.

However official the email may look, you can still spot a phishing scam. The first thing to look out for is the email address it was sent from. If it is not the official address you normally get emails from, it will be a scam.

You can also take a closer look at the email itself for any inconsistencies. Look out for any spelling or grammatical errors in the text, or small details that might be wrong, for example the logo.

How to Keep Your Devices Protected

Sometimes receiving these spam emails is inevitable. Usually it is best to be prepared for the worst case scenario. You can do so by having adequate cybersecurity measures in place on all of your devices.

The first software you need to install is antivirus. Antivirus software will constantly be scanning your devices for any malicious software that has been installed. The software will warn you about it, and it can remove it from your device.

You can also make use of VPN software. A VPN will encrypt your internet connection, making it more secure. This will prevent any cybercriminals from seeing what you are doing on your devices.

You should try not to open any spam or junk mail that you recieve. If you receive any emails that look suspicious, or require you to give out any of your personal information, you should carefully inspect the email first to see if it is legit.