Whenever you open an email, first look at the source. Who’s sending it? Do you know them? If the source looks at all unfamiliar, proceed with caution. In the body of the email, there might be links or attachments with a message prompting you to click or download them. These files might contain malware. Some malware emails are advanced enough to not be detected by antivirus software.
We’ve already discussed faux-urgency as a tip-off of a phishing email, but it’s hardly the only one. Others to look out for include:
- Misspellings.
- Grammatical mistakes.
- Including your email address in the subject line.
- No acknowledgement of your name.
- Requests to verify your account.
- Warnings that your account has been compromised.
With this knowledge and the practices we’ve covered already, you can you greatly reduce the risk of being a phishing victim. Total Defense is here to help with solutions for antivirus, backup and internet security. Take a look at our shop page to find out more.
