It is very likely that everyone who uses the Internet has been the target of spam at one time or another. At first they are easy for the internet savvy to dismiss, however for the inexperienced internet user the messages they contain can sometimes be intimidating and in some cases lead to trouble (I’ll look at a personal example later). .
Spam can take various forms; Email and search engine spam are just two, but the one we’ll be concentrating on in this article, and also the one you’re likely to come across, is via email.
Spam is defined as unsolicited bulk mail, much of it in the “bulk” or “junk” folder found in your email service provider’s control panel. You’ve probably often seen a lot of these types of emails in your bulk folders when searching for emails that you’ve actually consented to receive, as many emails get caught by spam filters even though they shouldn’t. Most of the spam you may receive will be of a sexual or gambling nature, however, in recent months I have noticed an increasing number of fraudulent emails asking for sensitive information and claiming to be someone they are not.
The Paypal and eBay scams are prime examples of these types of emails known as “phishing scam emails.” The email will be along the lines of:
“We have noticed an irregularity in your account details and request that you update them immediately. Failure to do so will result in your account being permanently closed.”
You can see how these emails can be quite alarming to an inexperienced Internet user who may only occasionally use the Internet to sell or buy items on eBay, for example. Some of the emails will look very convincing and use the images and symbols of the respective company, however, be very cautious and pay attention to the following important point:
If you are unsure of the legitimacy of the email, do not follow any links contained in the email to an external website. Instead, type the address of the website you know to be correct directly into your browser, so you’re safe in the knowledge that you’re not using a fraudulent website.
Otherwise, the scammer could hijack your account; it’s as easy as this. You follow the link in the email to a website that claims to be, and also looks a lot like one where you have an account. The website will ask you to enter your username and password to access your account and voila, you will now have sent this information to the scammer, allowing them to access your account containing sensitive information about you.
Another type of email scam that has been very popular is when you are notified that you are the lucky winner of a lottery, even though you have never entered the lottery at the location claiming your success! This is where the example of a personal experience comes in. Many people reading this will think “I will never fall for one of these scams”, however the unfortunate reality is that many people will. An elderly relative of mine received one of these lottery scams from Spain and then insisted on going through with the scam via email, even though they had never participated in the lottery draw. The only stumbling block was that the required bank account details needed to be faxed which she was unable to do and despite the frustration this caused I of course refused to help send it off.
There are steps you can take to help avoid being targeted by spammers; some have been mentioned here. However, also, never reply to a fraudulent email, as it will notify them that the email address is active and also that you have read the email, which will lead to more spam.
Of course, there are many other spam threats that are not discussed here, such as viruses and Trojans that are delivered via email attachments.
