We’ve covered this topic before, but it’s worth mentioning again – particularly because we’ve noticed an uptick in the number of very tricky scam emails out there! If you’re running a small business, you in particular should take notice of this problem, because your employees probably aren’t aware of this risk.

Scam emails often look 99 percent legitimate to the untrained eye. The logos, the email address, even some of the links provided within the text, all appear to be from a legitimate source. Yet, these emails are dangerous, because they can trick you or your employees into clicking on just one dangerous link.

One common scenario that we’re seeing lately, is the arrival of “package notification” emails. These emails appear to be from UPS or Fed-Ex or even the US Postal Service. All logos, and language used within the emails, seems to be copied straight from those sources.

This email might inform you that a package is on its way, and provides you with tracking information. The sender might include several links, to lend the appearance of being an official email from these companies. You might notice a link to an Amazon product, or some other popular retailer, and another link to a shipping company. All of this leads you to believe that you’re looking at a legitimate email.

Then, you excitedly check the “tracking information”. You’re taken to a fake website, and malicious viruses or malware are downloaded into your computer.

We’re sharing this information as a reminder that, no matter how “real” an email appears to be, you should always exercise extreme caution when clicking links offered by any online message. You can also hover your mouse cursor over any links provided in emails, to check out the actual URL before clicking on it. If it doesn’t look legitimate, don’t click!

And of course, exercise a healthy dose of skepticism at all times. Train your employees to do the same, and remind them not to use their work email addresses for personal reasons (such as Amazon orders). This will help them spot the fakes pretty much immediately.

Finally, give us a call if you’re concerned about your network security. We can help to secure your equipment against viruses and malware, and help your business stay safe on the internet. Call us at 888-RING-MY-TECH and we’ll be happy to explain our services to you.