Surprise, surprise cyber-criminals are not the most ethical people. While the world holds its breath and watches the Corona Virus spread, cyber-criminals are hard at work preying on people's fears and trying to exploit those fears via malware and scams. So how do you protect yourself from these jerks? Below are some helpful tips!
Identifying the Corona Scam Email
This email comes into your email box, generally with a document attached. This sneaky message will have a subject like 'Tips for Preventing the Corona Virus' or 'What's the Government Hiding about the Corona Virus?'. If you see one of these emails show up in your email box, stay calm and don't open it!
What if you're not sure if the email is a scam?
The most straightforward answer I can give you is 'When in doubt, kick it out (aka, delete that S#!T).' If you know the sender, pick up the phone and call them, and if you don't know them, then they are out of luck. Let common sense prevail here. Use trustworthy sites for your information on the Corona Virus, don't rely on random emails to keep yourself informed.
Helpful Tools
Microsoft provides a tool to help mitigate some of these risks. If you find an email that is spam, malicious, or even a scam, you can do the following.
- Right-click on the email, hover over junk, and you can select block sender. That won't block every malicious email, but it will prevent the domain from sending you an email again.
- Report the message using the "Report Message" button in the Outlook Ribbon. This action sends Microsoft a message so they can investigate the situation and start building a strategy on how to combat new similar scams.
If you or someone at your office clicks on a malicious link or are concerned about online security and proper spam filtering, your company may be at risk. Let us know if we can
help.
For more tips on avoiding email scams, check out Jennifer Kraus' blog on
'Tips to Avoid Scammy Emails.'