Any email with ‘COVID-19’ in the subject line ‘, may grab your attention pretty easily. The email may talk about a new supply of protective masks, hand sanitizer, virus antidote or the like. Naturally, you may want to learn more and open the email to read the content. PAUSE just a second.
Here are a few tips on how to protect yourself from email phishing attacks:
- Don’t trust the display name
- Cybercriminals will fake the display name of an email to trick you to open it
- Check the links
- Hover your mouse over any links in the body of the email
- If the link address has numbers or special characters DO NOT click the link
- Check for spelling mistakes
- Its very rare for a legitimate company to have spelling mistakes or poor grammar in their communications
- Beware of urgent or threatening language in the subject line
- Creating fear or urgency is a common phishing tactic
- Examples:
- ‘ Your account has been suspended;
- ‘Unauthorized login attempt’
- Don’t click an attachment – unless you are expecting one
- Attachments may contain malicious software (malware)
- Malware can damage computer files, steal passwords, or even spy on you while you are online
If the email appears to be from a legitimate source but you are not quite certain, trust your gut. Double check the email address using another method – maybe verify by phone or go to the company website to check.
Below is a link to ‘The Little Black Book of Scams’, an informative, easy to read book issued by the Government of Canada’s Competition Bureau. Take a look when you can and continue to be cyber aware especially during the COVID-19 pandemic