With Mother’s Day just around the corner, beware of suspicious emails. Scammers use holidays like this for their emotional appeal. They hope that your desire to do something nice for your Mom will cloud your judgment enough to open and click a link in an email you typically wouldn’t, giving them the opportunity to take full advantage. The same fraudulent services are seen surrounding Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Valentine’s Day. Be particularly mindful of the following 3 scenarios.
- Many scam emails will contain a subject line like, “Don’t Forget Mother’s Day – $19.99 Flowers”. The embedded link will then take the subject to a website with all kinds of enticing items for sale which is really just a cover for stealing credit card information. What appears to be a website offering jewelry, shoes or designer clothes at bargain prices is really just a scam to take consumers’ money. If you come across any discount online store through email, ignore it.
- E-Card phishing is the second common deceitful practice encompassing holidays. In this case, hackers will embed Mother’s Day e-cards with viruses or other malware fashioned to infect the recipient’s computer, permitting them to steal their personal information. By means of inserted downloadable attachments and links, cyber scammers are able to take control of the computer once “given” access. If you see anything of this nature show up in your inbox, be sure you recognize the sender.
- The last notable scam involves false flower discounts or brunch coupons. One, in particular, involves Mother’s Day vouchers for flowers all year yet cannot be redeemed at any existing florist. Many vouchers offer one price and alter it drastically upon redemption, a “bait and switch” tactic.
At Sendio, we believe the threat of email scam shouldn’t even be on your radar while you’re working. Instead, time should be invested productively. Our secure messaging environment brings users security, stability and continuity, shifting the focus from what’s holding you back to what’s moving you forward.
