The current climate for illicit electronic activities is growing and evolving at a very high rate. Although you may have technology to filter many fraudulent messages,some may still make it through your system. Here are a few common approaches to look out for, and recommendations on what to do if suspect you have received these types of messages.
Court Cases / Legal notifications - "Hearing of your case in Court No#7385" No legitimate court would email such notifications or demands to appear.
Banks and credit card companies do not send out emails asking for their customers to validate their account information. If you receive this type of message, this is clearly an identity theft scam and should be deleted immediately.
Email stating that you have a very rich, long lost relative that has died in a horrible accident. This is another scam that asks you to forward your bank account information so they can deposit the funds from that relative's will. This is also a message you should delete immediately.
Messagesthat looks very official claiming to be a customer complaint. These messages look like they are being sent by agencies such as the BBB or credit agencies. These agency typical policies are to send these in letter forms and NOT emails. The messages usually contain either an internet link, or an attached PDF document that contains a link to a website. These messages are intended to lure you go to a website that will in turn download a virus to your computer. Delete these messages permanently by holding down the shift key while pressing the delete button.
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The general rule of thumb for email activity should be if you receive a message that you are not certain of its origin, DELETE IT to be on the safe side. You should also be wary of any attachment that you are not expecting. Lastly, DO NOT CLICK on any internet links that you are not certain of the destination. By following these simple guidelines you can help avoid a huge number of problems and risks to your business.
