Technology is a double-edged sword. It can be very helpful at times but could also hurt when falling into the wrong hands. While traditional thieves and robbers are having a harder time stealing your property these days, modern thieves can utilize the internet to steal from anyone, anywhere, at any time. These activities are called scams and part of the reason they succeed is because the person being scammed are "cooperating". Today, we're sharing some tips to avoid accidentally "cooperating" with these online thieves and falling for a scam!

#How Does It Happen

The easiest way to reach a potential victim is through e-mails, as this information is almost as good as publicly available. Some people have their e-mails on social media such as Facebook Instagram or LinkedIn such that anyone who is a "friend" or "connection" can view it. Besides, we use our e-mails to register for all sorts of websites, so any data breach or data leaks will enable the hacker to obtain thousands of e-mails at once. If you've signed up for many services, there's a high chance your e-mail is on sale in the dark web.

#Types of Scam E-mails

There are a few types of scam e-mails in general, but all have the same goal, to get you to give them information they need or click onto a specific link:

Intimidating and Threatening - This is to invoke a sense of urgency in the victim. For example, they might claim that they are from the FBI or the supreme court demanding for payment.

Shipping and Delivery - Some e-mails claim to be from a shipping company saying your parcel is stuck somewhere requiring payment to let it through. This is particularly targeting new online shoppers.

Winnings and Prizes - Many of us love free things, so these e-mails trick the victims into thinking they've won a prize or some money through competitions.

Temptations - This popular kind of e-mail takes advantage of our desires. They can be convincing you about a "proven method" to earn thousands of dollars a day, or make it look like it was a from a girl/guy that is interested to meet you.

#Scam E-mail Addresses

To identify scam e-mails, first look at their e-mail addresses. Most companies have their own e-mail server (what comes after @), so if the address ends with the company's name, it is more likely to be real.

REAL - [email protected]

FAKE - [email protected]

REAL - [email protected]

FAKE - [email protected]

#Fake Links

Sometimes, scammers are smart enough to spoof (fake) e-mail address so that they look super real. This is when you'll have to check if the link they've sent you is real. People usually don't do this so scammers usually don't bother to cover up this part. There are 2 ways to do this:

Method 1

- Hover your mouse over the link (don't click).

- The link destination should shoow on the bottom left of your browser.

- Check that the link starts with the actual website.

e.g. shopee.com/....., lazada.com/....., facebook.com/......

Method 2

- Right click on the link/long press (on phone), then "copy link"

- Paste the link in a new tab without pressing "Enter"

- Check that the link starts with the actual website.

e.g. shopee.com/....., lazada.com/....., facebook.com/......

General rule of thumb: Don't click on any link in an e-mail. Type the website in the browser yourself then log in yourself and find whatever you need manually.

Of course, some common sense can also help, especially if there are many grammar and spelling errors in the e-mail. Although these methods are not perfect, they can greatly reduce the chance of you being scammed, so be sure to share this with your friends and families so we can fight back against these disgusting scammers!

If you've already clicked on a link, are you doomed? Not yet! Just check out this article first on how to identify a real and fake website.