Many of us receive a steady flow of emails every day, including bank statements, order confirmations, or sales promotions. To keep up, you may look through your inbox as quickly as possible—but don’t forget to stay vigilant. Cybercriminals take advantage of full inboxes to send dangerous, unexpected emails.
Unusual Scam Activity
One of the most popular unexpected email scams includes fake banking emails. Cybercriminals will send you an email that appears to be from a local bank, claiming that they have suspended your account due to unusual activity. Before taking action, consider whether it makes sense that you’re getting this email. Ask yourself questions like:
- Do you have an account with this bank?
- Is this how your bank typically contacts you when unusual activity is detected?
- When was the last time you checked your bank account?
If you don’t stop and think, you may give cybercriminals exactly what they want.
Your New Scam Is On The Way
In another scam, cybercriminals imitate a popular retailer’s order confirmation email. The email states that your card was charged a large sum of money and your order is on the way. Even though a fraudulent charge is alarming, pause and determine if the email makes sense. Ask yourself questions like:
- Do you shop at this retailer?
- Have you ever entered your credit card information on their website?
- Does the email include any accurate identifying information, like your name, credit card number, or shipping address?
Without pausing to ask yourself questions like these, you may fall right into a cybercriminal’s trap.
What Can I Do To Stay Safe?
Follow the tips below to stay safe from unexpected email scams:
- When you receive an unexpected email, stop and consider the context. For example, if the email is about an order you didn’t place, it could be a scam.
- Never click a link in an email that you aren’t expecting. Instead, open your internet browser and navigate to the organization’s official website.
- Watch out for urgent messages, such as an email alerting you about an expensive credit card charge. Phishing attacks rely on impulsive actions. So, always think before you click.
Meet the Cyber Monsters!
Count Hackula
Whether by brute force or the charm of social engineering, Count Hackula is desperate to drain your networks of vital personal identifiable information (PII). Ensure your systems are safe from this monster with secure passwords and employees who know enough to see past Count Hackula’s mesmerizing gaze.
Spoofy Steve
Wrapped in ancient layers of digital cloth, Spoofy Steve hides his scammy intentions from all but the most insightful of employees. Use well-honed social-engineering-spotting skills to avoid his tricks as he pretends to be a coworker or supervisor asking for sensitive information.
Breachatrix le Phish
This sister of the night has her evil eye set on the most valuable of targets; C-suite and finance managers beware! Breachatrix le Phish will swoop in to cast her spear phishing spells to steal secrets and treasure but can be warded off with a resilient security culture in your organization.
Ransomwolf
Lurking in that innocent-looking file attachment you just downloaded, Ransomwolf is ready to gobble up all your important files, bounding from folder to folder through the forest of your network. Unlike other werewolves, Ransomwolf is invulnerable to “silver bullets.” Organizations need both regular backups and a well-trained employee base to keep this monster at bay. Don’t wait until this monster turns into something worse!
Frankenphisher
Frankenphisher is stitched together from all the most dangerous pieces of phishing emails; compromised links, malicious attachments, you name it! Before he gets a chance to bust down the door of your network, make sure your people know what makes a phishy email phishy.