Viral e-mail, Spam mail or phishing mail is on the rise. Hackers use these e-mails to con you into believing that there is something wrong and your attention is required. Sometimes these e-mails are disguised as an e-mail from your bank or credit card company. These e-mails will try to get you to log on from a link that they provide. Hover your cursor over the e-mail / link to see where that link is actually going to take you. An example would be that the email appears to from "YourBank.com" but when you hover your mouse over the link it says "johnQcitizen@gmail.com". This is obviously not from YourBank's website. Look for clues or other indications that the message is not legitimate such as misspelled words, bad or awkward grammar in the message or odd domain names that could be one letter different from the real one.
- If the link is leading somewhere you don't recognize DON'T CLICK ON IT. If you use their link it will copy the information such as your bank account number, logon and password and any other information you may type in. It will then send that information to the hacker who now has full access to your account.
- The FBI will NOT email you to inform you that they have a warrant for you and that you must send a $300.00 money order or by Western Union to prevent your arrest. It just does not work that way, If the FBI has a warrant for you they are not going to announce it.
- Fedex, UPS and other legitimate delivery company's will not send you a vague email asking you to confirm your address along with your social security number and date of birth. Think about it, why don't they know your address?, how did they get your email address then? Why would they need your social security number and date of birth to deliver a package? The legitimate companies will usually try to contact you by phone if there is a problem and will always refer to the tracking number of your delivery.
If you receive an email of this type or you are just not sure, the safest thing to do is use the logon link that you know is legitimate or an app that has already been set up to access your account and see for yourself. You may always call your bank or credit card company directly using the number provided on your credit card or bank card. Do not call any of the numbers provided by the spam or phishing e-mail Delete the e-mails immediately without clicking on any of the links and don't forget to empty that "deleted" folder. You can also block the sender but this is usually pointless as the hackers will send it again using a different e-mail address.
Here is sample list of some common subject lines for viral e-mail.
ATTENTION REQUIRED: INFO ON YOUR IMPENDING REFUND
ATTENTION REQUIRED: INFORMATION ON YOUR LATEST REFUND
ATTENTION REQUIRED: you are legally obliged to review the status of your shipment
AUTOMATED letter: refund information
AUTOMATED notice in regards to your item’s status
AUTOMATED notification: refund information
AUTOMATED notification: refund information
AUTOMATED USPS notification: your shipment has been postponed
AUTOMATED USPS OFFICIAL LETTER CONCERNING YOUR SHIPMENT
AUTOMATED USPS statement: your package has been delayed
AUTOMATIC letter: money back information
AUTOMATIC notice concerning your package’s location
AUTOMATIC notice: refund information
AUTOMATIC notification in regards to your package’s status
AUTOMATIC notification regarding your order’s location
IMMEDIATE ATTENTION NEEDED: your parcel’s been delayed
IMMEDIATE ATTENTION REQUIRED: your parcel’s been delayed
IMPORTANT USPS customer support letter
IMPORTANT USPS REFUND INFO
IMPORTANT USPS REFUND INFORMATION
IMPORTANT USPS system notice
Major problems reported to the USPS support team
Major trouble reported to the USPS customer support
Official letter from USPS support team
Official letter in regards to your parcel
Official notice from USPS support team
Official notification concerning your package
Official notification from USPS
Official notification from USPS customer support team
OFFICIAL USPS MONEYBACK INFO REGARDING YOUR ITEM
OFFICIAL USPS MONEYBACK INFORMATION
Official USPS notification concerning your package
PROMPT ACTION NEEDED: your order’s been delayed
PROMPT ATTENTION NEEDED: your item’s been delayed
There has been an issue with your package
There’s been an issue with your package
URGENT USPS customer support letter
URGENT USPS customer support notification
URGENT USPS MONEYBACK INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR ITEM
URGENT: notice of postponement of your order
USPS CLIENT IMPORANT NEW DETAILS REGARDING YOUR PACKAGE
USPS CLIENT IMPORANT NEW INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR ITEM
USPS customer support notification: your order has been postponed
USPS OFFICIAL LETTER regarding your parcel
USPS official letter: big problems with your shipment
USPS official letter: serious issues with your order
USPS official letter: serious problems with your shipment
USPS official notice: serious trouble with your parcel
USPS official notification: serious issues with your package
USPS system notice: your package has been delayed
USPS system notification: your package has been delayed
USPS URGENT LETTER concerning your item
USPS USER URGENT NEW INFO IN REGARDS TO YOUR PARCEL
WARNING: DETAILS ON YOUR IMPENDING REFUND
WARNING: INFORMATION ON YOUR LATEST REFUND
WARNING: ISSUES WITH YOUR SHIPMENT
WARNING: PROBLEMS WITH YOUR PACKAGE
WARNING: TROUBLE WITH YOUR ITEM
WARNING: TROUBLE WITH YOUR SHIPMENT
WARNING: you are legally obliged to check the status of your order
Don't rely on the use of anti-malware programs to catch everything. Phishers change their approach often to keep ahead of the software attack detectors. Email, instant messaging, and gaming chat channels are all possible vehicles to deliver phishing attacks, so be vigilant!
When it is available, always take advantage of multi-factor verification to protect your accounts. The standard categories used for authentication are 1) something you know (e.g. your username and password), 2) something you are (e.g. your fingerprint or retina pattern), and 3) something you have (e.g. an authenticator app on your smartphone). An account that allows only a single factor for authentication is more susceptible to hacking than one that supports multiple factors.
Be wary of any usb thumb drives you may find laying around. It could be infected with a virus or malware that could do major damage to your computer and the network as a whole. If you find a USB drive DO NOT plug it into your PC.
