Recognizing Email Scams

Email provides us a convenient and powerful communications tool. Unfortunately, it also provides scammers and other malicious individuals an easy means for luring potential victims. The scams they attempt run from old-fashioned bait-and-switch operations to phishing schemes using a combination of email and bogus web sites to trick victims into divulging sensitive information. To protect yourself from these scams, you should understand what they are, what they look like, how they work, and what you can do to avoid them. The following recommendations can minimize your chances of falling victim to an email scam:

• Filter spam.
• Don‘t trust unsolicited email.
• Treat email attachments with caution.
• Don‘t click links in email messages.
• Install antivirus software and keep it up to date.
• Install a personal firewall and keep it up to date.
• Configure your email client for security. 

These recommendations are explained in the section ―What You Can Do to Avoid Becoming a Victim.‖ Ignoring them may leave you vulnerable to identity theft, information theft, the abuse of your computer for illegal activity, the receipt of bogus or illegal merchandise, and financial loss.
RECOGNIZING EMAIL SCAMS

See more in the attached pdf