6 Tips for Defending Against Email Scams
It’s impossible to operate a business without modern communication solutions like emails or online messaging. Unfortunately, scammers know to take advantage of this – this channel is an easy access point for fraud and cyberattacks, especially when the scam recipients are unaware of tell-tale signs.
Remember these 6 essential tips for defending against email scams:
1. Learn to spot suspicious senders, links, etc.
Typically, junk mail is easily identifiable and sent to the proper mailbox by your email provider’s algorithm. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. If a suspicious email slips into your inbox, look out for these tell-tale signs of fraud:
- Grammar or spelling mistakes in the tagline, body, image, or link
- Generic greetings not addressed specifically to the account holder
- Claims of owing money or unrecognizable invoices
- Links to free offers for goods or services
- Asking for verification of account information (login credentials)
2. Train employees regularly.
Email fraud can be stopped before data loss occurs. Employees with access to company information are the first line of defense against phishing. With the proper training, they will avoid these attacks and costing the company significant damages. By holding regular training sessions, staff will be better prepared to spot and respond to these attempts before it’s too late.
3. Install security software as a first line of defense.
Network security defenses can prevent obvious scams before they fall into an employee’s inbox. By setting up firewall defenses and filtering systems, mail flagged as suspicious will be collected in the junk folder and sectioned off from important items in the inbox.
4. Use multi-factor identification.
In the event that scammers receive login credentials, having multi-factor authentication installed will make it harder for them to access the account. Notifications can be set up to alert the user if a login attempt has been made and will prompt them to verify the attempt. This alert will not only allow the employee to respond to the breach and change their credentials but will also stop the breach before damage is dealt.
5. Never respond to unsolicited data requests online.
In most cases, requests for company data or assets will not come without the proper verification. If this occurs, ask for credentials from the sender. Even if the request without verification appears to be legitimate, it’s important to treat these as scams to avoid risking data loss.
6. Never give out personal information without verifying the credibility of the source.
In the same fashion as the above point, never provide personal information or login credentials to an unverified source. If they cannot provide the proper identity verification but push for your information, then it’s most likely the user is attempting a breach.
Managed IT service providers like American Lazer – CommSat know just where to start when fortifying email security. With industry-standard resources and years of cyber defense experience, our IT staff is ready to help prevent breach attempts before they gain access to critical data.
Learn more about our fraud protection and managed IT service packages here or email one of our experts at [email protected].
