The coronavirus pandemic prompted a massive uptick in internet scams and phishing tactics. Even in the first few months of the pandemic, researchers noted a near-700% jump in phishing scams.
In particular, email scams pose significant threats. The email inbox is one of the most effective ways for scammers to get into your life, gather your information, and use it to their advantage. We’re going to take a look at this issue today, covering some email protection methods you can use to protect yourself.
We hope the information below helps you stay safe. Let’s get started.
Email Protection Essentials: Staying Safe
The first thing to note is that email scams regularly operate with the user’s participation. In fact, most phishing methods require some level of engagement from the person getting scammed.
This usually means clicking or engaging with a link or phone number. If you’ve ever received a suspicious text or email with a random link embedded, odds are that it was a phishing attempt. Most of us receive those messages on a regular basis, which demonstrates just how common these attacks are.
Delete those emails when they arrive. Don’t let them sit in your inbox or you might accidentally open and click them. The links can’t hurt you if they’re unclicked, but it’s always best to simply delete those emails as soon as possible.
Update Your Authentication
Make sure you use two-factor authentication. This usually involves entering your password, then entering a code that gets sent to your phone. It’s a little inconvenient if you’re in a rush, but it’s worth protecting your privacy.
You can usually opt out of this authentication, and you might have done so without noticing. Go into your email’s login settings and turn on two-factor authentication. If your email provider doesn’t offer this, it’s time for a new email provider.
Purchase Security Software
Individuals and businesses alike should look into security software. Having a team of professionals to work with makes life a lot less stressful. These companies can identify threats, discover how risky they are, then repair the security issues that allowed them to get to you in the first place.
Companies like Visore are excellent at protecting your personal or business email information.
Know The Signs of Scams
Finally, you can best defend yourself from hackers if you know how to identify them. We mentioned that these individuals often send unprompted emails with links.
The challenging thing about these links, though, is that they’re wrapped in some personal issue. For example, you might receive an email that says “your social security card is flagged– find out why by clicking here.”
It seems like you should click that, right? Something about your social security card must be important. Wrong.
IRS agencies will almost always call you or verify themselves. In other instances, avoid responding to the email directly and try calling the actual agency to see if they tried to reach you.
Want to Learn More About Email Threats?
We hope our email protection ideas were useful to you. There’s a lot more to learn about staying safe online, though. We’re here to help.
Explore our site for more ideas on how to protect your email account, manage your data, and a whole lot more.
