5 ways an email malware scam will try and fool you

Those pesky scammers are always trying to fool email users into opening dangerous websites or malicious attachments.

We take a quick look at 5 social engineering tricks scammers popularly use so you can be on the watch out!

1. The Failed Delivery Scam

No one wants to miss a postal delivery, and from time to time nearly all of us will be expecting an important letter or parcel to turn up at our doorstep, especially towards the holidays.

This is why the failed delivery trick proves to successful. The scammer sends out an email that informs the reader that a delivery courier tried and failed to deliver a parcel to your address, and you need to either visit a website or download the attached paperwork to retrieve your parcel.

However the website or attachment is malicious, and is likely to install malware onto the victims computer.

 

2. Is that a picture of you?

If you get an email claiming to show a picture of you, it’s human nature to want to see it!

And therein lies the simple yet effective hook of this variant – the attached file isn’t a photo of you at all – It’s malware!

 

3. Your Bank wants a word

There are plenty of companies, businesses and organisations always wanting to grab our attention, but one that usually doesn’t have to try too hard is our bank. After all, they are the safe-keepers of all our hard earned cash!

And it is for that reason that scammers are likely going to send you emails purporting to be from your bank, often telling tales of security upgrades, problems, concerns and instructions. That is guaranteed to get anyone’s attention.

The emails will often advise people to visit spoof websites or open dangerous attachments to resolve whatever fake issue the scammer has invented, and this invariably leads to malware installations (or worse, identity theft!)

 

4. You’ve got voicemail!

Why you would get your voicemail sent over to your email, we don’t know! But this popular trick involves an email claiming that a voicemail left for you is attached to the email, and you need to open it to hear the recording.

But there is no voicemail there. Only lurking malware.

5. Tax return issues

No one wants to get fined when returning their taxes, be it in the UK, US or wherever. Which is why emails purporting problems with a tax return are likely to get more attention than any other email.

As you could probably guess, the reader is instructed to open an attachment to resolve the tax return problem. Alas a malware infection.

Very popular during the run-up to the tax deadline, which at the time this article is written is only a couple of weeks away for the UK (online copies) and a few months away for the US.

 

 

Remember these are only a few of many, many different stories and tricks scammers will use to get you to visit malicious websites or open dangerous attachments, So remember, as always, be careful out there.