Protect yourself for email scams by doing this

To Understand Phishing Attacks - First, You Need To Understand How They Work

You may have received an email stating something like "I have hacked your computer and sent you this email. Send me $800.00 and I will go away."

Unfortunately, in this modern age, data breaches are common and massive sets of passwords make their way to the criminal corners of the Internet. Scammers likely obtained such a list for the express purpose of including a kernel of truth in an otherwise boilerplate mass email.

So, What Can You Do?

First, if a password has been emailed to you, and it is one that you still use, in any context whatsoever, STOP USING IT and change it NOW! 


 

What's Next?

With this type of scam, the perpetrator relies on the likelihood that a small number of people will respond out of a batch of potentially millions. Fundamentally this isn't that much different from the old Nigerian Prince scam— just with a different hook. By default they expect most people will not even open the email, let alone read it. But once they get a response—and a conversation is initiated—they will likely move into a more advanced stage of the scam. It’s better to not respond at all.

Also, DO NOT pay the ransom. If you pay the ransom, you’re not only losing money but you’re encouraging the scammers to continue phishing other people. If you do pay, then the scammers may also use that as a pressure point to continue to blackmail you, knowing that you’re are susceptible.

——As we said before, for sure stop using the password that the scammer used in the phishing email. Moving forward, you should make sure to enable two-factor authentication whenever that is an option on your online accounts (Facebook, Gmail, IG, etc.).
As always if you have any questions or concerns about online security, or computer technology in general, do not hesitate to call the computer techs at RescueTECH Regina at (306) 205-7522.