4 Fraud Prevention Tips for Email

January 31, 2019

When using e-mail for personal or business use, always exercise caution. The following 4 tips are from German American’s Security Team experts to help you detect, and avoid, fraudulent e-mails.

1. If you are not familiar with the sender of an e-mail you receive, do not open attachments or click links. Instead, contact a trusted resource you or your company relies on to detect fraudulent e-mails. When in doubt, delete the message.
2. Even when an email appears to come from a known contact, if the content seems odd, be sure to verify the e-mail by calling the sender. Fraudsters will spoof or forge an email address to trick you into believing the e-mail message is coming from a known contact.
3. Be suspicious of emails that attempt to create a sense of urgency or appeal to your sense of curiosity. Remember, fraudsters are trying to get you to act before you think. What sounds like a great offer may actually lead you into a fraud trap.
4. Additional e-mail warning signs include poor grammar or spelling, requests for highly sensitive information, generic salutations like “Dear Customer”, or the Reply-To address goes to an unknown source.

Fraudsters have a hard time tricking those who verify the source of unfamiliar e-mails, avoid clicking links and opening attachments, and take time to think before taking action. Practicing the 4 tips above will help you be smarter than a fraudster.

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