HOLIDAY SPAM
Fraudulent emails never take a holiday & as far as cyber-criminals are concerned, the more the merrier! A season of giving can quickly become a season of taking if you’re not careful opening emails & ecards containing links or attachments infected with malware. These bogus tidings masquerade as legitimate Sold, Ship Now or technical emails from Amazon, FedEx, Apple & other popular retailers. At first glance, they may appear authentic, but often these notifications direct you to a false website where you’ll be asked to share sensitive account information.
Never provide your bank account information or “updates” to sensitive financial information or security questions. Review emails for grammar & typos as phishing emails are translated from other languages or not proof-read. Check the website address. Spoofed websites can look like the real deal, but URLs can’t be faked. Bogus sites will contain additional characters in the URL that can tip you off to their authenticity. When in doubt, DON’T click on any of the links provided in suspicious emails, even ones that say Unsubscribe, as spammers use unsubscribe processes to create a list of valid email addresses.
