Beware Fraudulent Email Phishing Scams!
Beware! There are so many fake websites out there that look and feel like the real McKoy. How do you keep safe from hackers and phishing scams?
You will receive scam emails from what looks like your bank (i.e. HSBC, RBS, Halifax, Lloyds, etc), PayPal, Google, FaceBook, eBay, Amazon, email provider and many other popular websites.
If you receive any email saying something along the lines of “Your email box is full and has been suspended – click here to reactivate.” then please, please do NOT click on the link and do NOT reply. Instead contact your email provider (if you’re our client then just call or email your project manager directly) to verify the authenticity of the email. Remember, we will never suspend your email…
I receive many fraudulent bulk emails linking to all sorts of phishing websites. Today, I received an email apparently “from” Google AdWords saying that they closed my account. See screen shot below!
These fraudulent emails will have links to fake websites that are “phishing” for your login details. As soon as you try logging into the pirated website, you’ve given the scammers and hackers your username and password – and within hours, your account will be hacked!
These fraudulent websites have similar looking www. domain names that cover typos or simply appear official. The fake emails will have the corporate logo and branding; the link may write www.google.co.uk but infact links to a slightly different URL address http://www.google-XYZ.com or http://google.XYZ.com
Beware! The fake email and website will try to fool you by even linking to the genuine website itself for real info OR fake pages with genuine copy! But when you try to login, it won’t work – you’ll only be sending your personal details to hackers!
5 TIPS TO KEEP SAFE
1. If you want to be safe – always check the emails are personally identifying you by name.
2. If you hover over the link, the real destination URL will appear for you to analyze.
3. Instead of clicking an email link, Google for your desired website i.e. go to http://www.google.co.uk and then search for HSBC, PayPal, FaceBook, etc and click on the no.1 natural ranking website (not on the sponsored adverts).
4. If you think you’ve just given your details to a scam website then immediately find the real website, login and change your password! Then contact the real company to notify them of the fraudulent website.
5. Forward the suspect email to your project manager at Dental Focus Web Design so we can check it out for you!
Krishan Joshi is “the Master” at Dental Focus Web Design.
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