Almost everyone has received spam email from time to time, and while most are harmless, there are some more serious scams which you should be aware of. Many scammers send emails under the guise of a reputable company such as your bank, in order to extort money or personal details from the recipient.
While these scams are thankfully often unsuccessful, it still helps to be aware so that you can protect yourself if you do receive a suspicious email.
If you’d like some more information about what to look out for, see our handy guide below for four common email scams to be aware of.
Fake tax rebates
If something seems too good to be true, chances are that it is, and fake tax refund emails fall firmly into this category. It should be noted that HMRC will never email out of the blue to tell you about a tax refund and they certainly won’t ask for your bank details via email. You can forward any suspicious emails to HMRC using phishing@hmrc.gov.uk.
Fake savings products
Emails offering competitive savings and ISA rates are another common scam, so again, be aware that if something looks too good to be true it’s probably fake. Read any documents carefully and cross-reference the savings offer on the bank’s website to see if it’s legitimate.
Phishing emails
These emails are a type of scam designed to trick the recipient into entering their password or other personal information. If you’re suspicious, check the email address of the sender very carefully, usually, there will be the smallest change from the real email address (for example amazom.com instead of amazon).
CEO fraud
This scam involves the sender pretending to be the CEO of your company, usually to request a money transfer from the finance department. Unfortunately, it’s relatively easy for scammers to find the real name of a company’s CEO, so if you do receive this type of email, always double-check with someone else in your workplace.
Having the right information is important when it comes to protecting yourself from scams, but if you want additional protection for you or your business, get in touch with MailCleaner.
We’re proud to offer professional anti-spam software for businesses, so you can say goodbye to spam and viruses for good. For more information about any of our anti-spam software or products, give us a call today or visit our product page.