Don’t “Fall” for Email Scammers: All Tricks and No Treats!

Email scams are always around, and they tend to ramp up around this time of year. Most email scams are initiated via Spam email and while some are friendly marketing messages, many emails in this genre may be considered SPAM.

State and federal laws regulate and protect you from spammers.

The CAN-SPAM Act is a federal law that sets standards that email marketers must follow. The Federal Trade Commission and the Office of the Attorney General are responsible for enforcing and penalizing violations of this act.

Not all spam is illegal, but there are several steps you can take to limit the amount of spam you receive in your inbox on a day-to-day basis. One of those is by partnering with Bastionpoint Technology.

Limit the Spam You Receive

You can take steps to reduce and manage the flow of unwanted emails into your inbox:

Use an Email Filter

Take advantage of all spam filtering tools offered by your email service and/or Internet Service Provider. If spam messages get through the filter and reach your inbox, mark them as spam to help improve the filters.

Avoid Posting Your Email Address on Websites

Spammers regularly “harvest” email addresses from websites, so never post your email address on a public website, including on blog posts, chat rooms, social networking sites, or online classified ads.

Protect Your Personal Email Address

Consider using two email addresses – one for personal messages and one for shopping, newsletters, chat rooms, and other services.

Review privacy policies and opt-out of mailing lists. Before you submit your email address to a website, check their privacy policy to see if it allows them to share it with others, and then think twice before providing them with your information. Also, look for pre-checked boxes that sign you up for email updates from the company and its partners. You may be able to opt-out of receiving these emails.

Reduce Spam for Everyone

Spammers search the internet looking for computers that are not protected by up-to-date security software. When they find unprotected computers, they try to install malware on the computer so that they can control the computers.

Spammers use a network of many thousands of these infected computers – called a botnet – to send millions of emails at once. Millions of home computers are part of botnets, and most spam is sent through these botnets.

Don’t Let Spammers Use Your Computer

You can take steps to help prevent your computer from being infected and used:

Update Your Software

Keep all of your software—including your operating system, Internet browser, and other software programs—up to date to protect against the latest threats. It is a good idea to set your software to retrieve updates automatically.

Use Managed Antivirus Software

Make sure you have good antivirus software installed on your computer, and regularly receive updates.

Use Caution Opening Email Attachments

Do not open a suspicious email attachment—even if it is from a friend or relative—unless you are expecting it or know what it is.

Download Software Only from Sites You Know and Trust

It can be tempting to download free software, but keep in mind that such software may contain malware.

All of these tips and tricks are standard practices of Bastionpoint Technology and our security stack that is provided to all of our managed clients. If you’re not partnering with an IT person or firm, (or if you are) it may be a good time to reach out to us for a consultation.