SPAMMMM!

email

The holidays are not only a Season of Joy, but also the Season of Spam. Holiday email scams are sent in the billions this time of year. People let their hair down over Christmas and New Year, our guards are down. This gives online criminals an opportunity to install malware, fool consumers with phishing campaigns, and unleash mayhem. Malware increases at an alarming rate during the holidays, and email spam is a primary cause. So, what is spam and how do we avoid it?

Well, spam is unsolicited bulk email that attempts to persuade a recipient to buy some product or service. However, spam is not only unsolicited bulk commercial mailings, but also email chain letters, personal campaign mailings, messages with virus-laden attachments, and messages containing virus hoaxes, to name a few.

Here are some tips on how to safeguard against it:

1.    The most common forms of spam are malicious programs that are masked as holiday cards, festive quizzes, or a prince in need of your assistance asking for a huge bank transfer. Don’t be happily surprised if you won a sweepstakes in a country you haven’t visited before. AVOID OPENING THESE!

2.    BE on alert for fake emails about packages you are receiving. During the holiday season, there is an increase in shipping, and online criminals trick users into clicking on “track this package” or “you received a package” links.  Spammers are really good at masking these emails to look real. Most often multiple emails will be sent from the authentic shipper, so take the time and compare tracking numbers.

3.    Watch out for generic-looking requests for information. Fraudulent emails are often not personalized. Authentic emails from your bank often reference an account you have with them. Many phishing emails begin with “Dear Sir/Madam” and some come from banks with which you don’t even have an account.

4.    Never use links in an email to connect to a website unless you are absolutely sure they are authentic. Instead, open a new browser window and type the URL directly into the address bar. You may receive emails “sharing a link” via Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive.  Double check with a quick email to the sender if you aren’t sure.

Simple awareness is the key to avoid infections. The holidays are crazy enough!  Don’t let an email infect your computer and give you headaches when you should be enjoying time with your friends and family.