How can I tell if an email is fradulent?

Unfortunately, as phishing attacks become more sophisticated, it is very difficult for the average person to tell if a message is fraudulent. That is why phishing schemes are so prevelant and successful for criminals. For example, many phony e-mail messages link to real company logos of well-known brands. However, there are things you can be on the lookout for:

• Requests for personal information in an e-mail message Most legitimate businesses have a policy that they do not ask you for your personal information through e-mail. Be very suspicious of a message that asks for personal information even if it might look legitimate.
• Urgent wording Wording in phishing e-mail messages is usually polite and accommodating in tone. It almost always tries to get you to respond to the message or to click the link that is included. To increase the number of responses, criminals attempt to create a sense of urgency so that people immediately respond without thinking. Usually, fake e-mail messages are NOT personalized, while valid messages from your bank or e-commerce company generally are. The following is an example from a real phishing scheme:

Dear valued bank member, it has come to our attention that your account information needs to be updated due to inactive member, frauds, and spoof reports. Failure to update your records will result in account deletion. Please follow the link below to confirm you data.

• Fake links Phishers are getting very sophisticated in their ability to create misleading links to the point where it is impossible for the average person to tell if the link is legitimate or not. It’s always best to type in the Web address you know is correct into your browser. Also you can save the correct URL to your browser Favorites. Do not copy and paste URLs from messages into your browser. Some of the techniques that criminals have used in the past to fake links are as follows:
  • In some messages, the link you are urged to click might contain all or part of a real company’s name and can be “masked,” meaning that the link you see does not take you to that address but somewhere different, usually a faked Web site. Notice in this example using Outlook that resting the pointer on the link reveals another numeric Internet address in the box with the yellow background. This should make you suspicious.

• Be aware of URLs that include the @ sign. In the following example, the URL would take you to the location that comes after the @ sign, not to Wood Grove Bank. This is because browers ignore anything in the URL that comes before the @ sign:

https://www.woodgrovebank.com@nl.tv/secure_verification.aspx

The real location, nl.tv/secure_verification.aspx, could easily be an unsafe site.

• Another common technique that has been used is a URL that at first glance is the name of a well-known company but on closer scrutiny is slightly altered. For example, www.microsoft.com could appear instead as:

www.micosoft.com,  www.verify-microsoft.com,  www.mircosoft.com

• Message body is an image To avoid detection by spam filters, fake e-mail messages used in phishing schemes often use an image instead of text in the message body. If the sent spam message uses real text and you happen to use Outlook, the Outlook Junk Email Filter will very likely move the message to the Junk E-mail folder. The message body image is usually a hyperlink. You can tell because when you rest the pointer on the message body, the pointer becomes a hand.

  

• Attachments Many phishing schemes ask you to open attachments, which can then infect your computer with a virus or spyware. If spyware is downloaded to your computer, it can then record the keystrokes you use to log into your personal online accounts and then sends that information back to the criminal. So be sure not to open attachments in suspicious e-mail messages. Any attachment that you want to view should be saved first, and then scanned with an up-to-date anti-virus program before you open it.
• Promises that seem too good to be true Use common sense and be suspicious when you are offered money or discounts that seem too good to be true

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