FBI Alerts Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail Users: Monitor These Three Elements to Prevent Assaults
FBI Alerts Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail Users: Monitor These Three Elements to Prevent Assaults
'Tis the season for worry, especially with the sharp increase in attacks on Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, and other email services. Given this, it's no surprise that the FBI has launched a new campaign to educate email users on how to stay safe. The only trickster you should encounter this holiday season, as per the FBI, is the Deceptive Elf.
The FBI alerts us that "scammers" often entice with offers that seem too good to be true, frequently through phishing emails or ads. These schemes could promise well-known merchandise at incredibly low prices, offer gift cards as incentives, or provide products at fantastic prices, but the product delivered would not match the one ordered.
Their advice boils down to checking three crucial aspects of every unsolicited email before hitting the "click" button: check the sender's email address, check any URL before clicking, and scrutinize the email's spelling and grammar, along with the URL.
This season, we've witnessed a significant surge in phishing and fraudulent web domains, with all threats escalating. Aided by AI, it's now simpler for attackers to craft convincing emails and websites, replicating logos and other product imagery, effectively refining their language to be more convincing and persuasive.
The best approach remains to disregard promotional emails, particularly during the holiday season, with research suggesting that most of these are either scams, fraudulent activities, or even worse. If you're interested in an offer, explore it by accessing the website directly or through a search engine. However, be vigilant for SEO poisoning. The online world has become more treacherous than ever, and caution is essential.
Regardless, the FBI's phishing attack advice hasn't changed:
- "Remember, companies usually don't contact you to request your username or password.
- Don't click on anything in an unsolicited email or text message. Obtain the company's phone number independently (don't rely on a potential scammer's phone number), and contact the company to confirm the legitimacy of the request.
- Carefully examine the email address, URL, and spelling used in any correspondence. Scammers often utilize slight variations to deceive the eye and gain your trust.
- Be cautious with what you download. Never open an email attachment sent by someone you don't know, and be wary of email attachments forwarded to you.
- Enable two-factor (or multi-factor) authentication on any account that permits it, and never disable it.
- Be careful with the information you share online or on social media. By openly sharing personal details like pet names, schools attended, family members, and birthdays, you're providing scammers with all the information they need to guess your password or answer your security questions."
The Gmail team has recently issued its own advice, alerting users that "since mid-November, we've seen a massive surge in email traffic compared to previous months, making protecting inboxes even more of a challenge than usual." The team claims that "Gmail blocks more than 99.9% of spam, phishing, and malware," protecting its 2.5 billion users. Despite this improvement, the company advises users to:
- "Take it slow. Scams often create a sense of urgency, commonly using terms like "urgent," "immediate," "deactivate," or "unauthorized." Take time to ask questions and think things through.
- "Conduct a fact-check. Research the email's details to double-check its authenticity. Does it make sense? Can the email sender's address be validated?
- "Hold up! Don't send. Reputable persons or agencies never demand payment or personal information on the spot.
- "Report it. If something looks suspicious, mark it as spam. By marking it as spam, you'll be cleaning your Inbox and helping billions of others as well."
However, the FBI's simplest and most valuable message still holds true: "If it appears too good to be true, it likely is."
The FBI has issued a warning about a holiday shopping scam, urging people to be vigilant against phishing emails and ads offering seemingly irresistible deals. These scams often promise popular merchandise at rock-bottom prices, provide gift cards as incentives, or offer products at remarkable discounts, but the delivered product rarely matches the ordered one.
Furthermore, the FBI emphasizes the importance of checking the sender's email address, URL, and spelling in unsolicited emails before clicking on any links or downloading attachments. This is particularly important during the holiday season, when the online world becomes more treacherous due to the surge in phishing and fraudulent web domains.
In line with this, the Gmail team has issued its own warning, advising users to be wary of emails that create a sense of urgency and to conduct a fact-check before responding to any requests for personal information or payments. The team also encourages users to mark suspicious emails as spam to help protect their inboxes and those of other users. Ultimately, the FBI's most valuable message remains: if it seems too good to be true, it likely is.