Email Fraud: How to Spot It and Protect Yourself | Antivirus Software
According to a survey conducted by Interac, Canadians fear payment scams more than break-ins, vehicle thefts and plane crashes.
Email fraud is a type of payment fraud that is especially important to be able to spot in today's digital world. Yet 96 per cent of Canadians did not recognize an email fraud when they were put to the test.
In short, almost everyone needs a helping hand in recognizing the signs of electronic fraud. Here are some tips to help Canadians spot fraud and protect their email accounts, and remedy them if they get caught.
Types of Email fraud
Phishing is one of the ways that scammers try to get into your email account by sending messages that appear to be from a trustworthy person or company. They try to trick you into believing the message is legitimate to trick you into entering sensitive personal and financial data into their bogus portal. Phishing is usually done by email or instant messaging, but also sometimes by text messages.
Be aware that cybercriminals are constantly improving and can access your email account in different ways and sometimes more easily. Think about all the personal information you put out online by sharing your photos, posting updates, or taking seemingly harmless online questionnaires. Fraudsters can sift through this personal information and use it to guess weak passwords or find answers to security questions.
Hackers often pose as your friends, government employees, or representatives of your favourite brands to extract money or personal information from you. If you are not wary, a fake money transfer could trick you into providing the answers to your security questions. The purpose of tax scams is to get victims to reveal their social insurance number. Scam emails that offer the recipient to subscribe to streaming services or any online service are only intended to trick people into clicking fake links to update their payment details.
How to Spot Email Fraud: General Tips
Be wary of emails where you don't know the sender, and don't click any links until you are sure you know who the message is from.
Trust your instincts. If you receive an unexpected deposit notice or money request, contact the sender by another means to verify.
Scammers do everything to make their phishing attempts look real; they even go so far as to use the company logo, including that of Interac.
Scan the email content for grammar errors or unusual spelling mistakes. A common mistake in phishing emails involves the location of the dollar sign.
Here are Four Ways to Protect Yourself From Email Fraud
Use the Interac e- Transfer automatic deposit feature. If you have already activated it, you will receive an email, and the amount transferred via the Interac e-Transfer service will be automatically deposited into your bank account, eliminating the need to enter your password or answer a question. of security. The automatic deposit feature is a secure and convenient way to accept an Interac e- Transfer.
Scam emails often ask you to respond to the message with the answer to a security question.
Create strong passwords and avoid common words and number sequences. Remember that sometimes the strongest passwords are the ugliest.
Be careful when you share anything online, including personal information that identifies you and that hackers can use to access your accounts.
What to Do If you Spot Email Fraud
If someone has accessed your email account without authorization, change your password and security questions.
If you accidentally enter personal information in a link from a phishing scam, change your online banking password and contact your bank immediately.
If you receive a notice that gives you the impression that it was sent by a fraudster trying to imitate the Interac e- Transfer service, your first instinct might be to delete the message, but we would prefer you not to delete it! Instead, send it to phishing@interac.ca so our fraud team can investigate and neutralize the fraud.
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