5 Sneaky Tactics You Need to Be Aware Of!

Spam has always been a PIA — from the start. And it has escalated over the years to become even trickier to get your info or credentials. Or worse. Get a virus or malware on your device or system.

The Bar Has Been Raised

Recently I’ve seen some tactics that surprised even me! That is why I am writing this post. To bring to your attention how far nefarious individuals will go to try and fool you into thinking they are legit. This way, if they land in your inbox — you’ll know right out of the gate to just hit DELETE!

Below are just 5 examples of what I’ve witnessed lately that I want you to be aware of.

The Unpaid Invoice Trick

yea , we finally did it.
here is the bank confirmation:
bofa_card_statement_support.doc
now f*** off and try not to contact me again or else.

On Feb 6, 2017 at 3:25 AM, su*****@xx********.com wrote:
did you send the money? i need the proof

The above uses profanity to get you riled up and click on the attachment. The Subject and supposed previous email from you, reflect your email address to make it appear more authentic.

The Fancy Company Overcharge Trick

Who the f*** are you and why is there a charge from xxxxxxxxxxxx.com on my card?
Here you can view my statement, get back to me asap.

bofa_card_statement_XXXXXX.doc

Thank you
David Riley

In this example I’ve received numerous versions where the Subject: field notes different legitimate big name consulting companies to add to the effect. In one case the website of the company name used changed their homepage to note “…we apologize, the emails were not from us. We were hacked.”

Once again using profanity and noting your domain in the email to get you to click on the attachment.

The Don’t Miss Out on Facebook Trick

Hi,
Here’s some activity you have missed on Facebook.

Gosh forbid we miss something on Faceybook! Looks like a legitimate Facebook notice but…. Mouse-over the link first! There you will see the actual underlying URL and it doesn’t go to Facebook!

The Too Good to Be True Trick

Claim Your $50 Sam’s-Club-Reward…

I’ve received this one stating Amazon, Walmart, Walgreens, Sam’s Club and Lowes. Again, the link does not go to where you are led to believe. Mouse-over and you’ll most likely see a foreign domain.

The You Have an eFax Trick

You received a new eFax from 212-335-7155

Everything in the email looked legit — all the eFax links, when moused-over showed efax.com. The trick here is the link to go download the eFax. When you mouse-over the link the first part shows efax.com — but if you mouse-over the end of the link you can see the nefarious site you would go to!

Friends with No Benefits

One other worth a mention is an email from a known contact — with all their contacts in the To: field including yours. The content is a single statement about a site or link for you to visit. You can safely assume they have a virus! In that case, as a courtesy, let them know they’ve been compromised and to scan their system ASAP.

Don’t Trust ANYTHING

The above are just a handful of examples of some of the trickery I see going on lately. Spammers are going to keep trying to make their emails look legit by mimicking sites you visit or playing to your emotions. Don’t fall for that trap!

Your best approach is to not trust any email that you don’t expect, sounds too good to be true, that you do not recognize the sender or has a communication style that is unusual. And never, ever click on any attachments or links in these types of emails.

Please share this post on so we can help others to be aware. The more onliners who know about these tactics the less effective they will be!