It’s time to talk about computer security again. With the holiday shopping season here, employees will be doing a lot of online shopping — some of which will inevitably happen on their work computers. With that in mind, it’s important to remind them of computer security and how to avoid phishing scams. This topic is near and dear to my heart because I’ve been hit with an alarming number of spam emails lately and am very, very irritated. This is just a smattering:
The email subject lines in The spam folder reveal the following clues about their spam origin:
- The use of emojis. (This isn’t always true, since we get legitimate emails using emojis, but usually only one in the subject line.)
- To us from us? To quote Alice, from Alice in Wonderland, curiouser and curiouser.
- The really interesting spelling of company names.
- USPS, FedEx and UPS don’t send emails like this. When you buy something online, you get an email confirmation from the retailer with a link to the shipper and a tracking number.
- False urgency: Please VALIDATE.
The email from CapitalOne is disturbing because it looks real. I know this is spam because I don’t bank at Capital One. But any employee who banks at Capital One could think this is legitimate. Our best advice: Call your bank and confirm.
If the front door is closed, the back door will do
As you see from the junk in the spam folder, you should warn employees to be on the lookout for the way phishers and scammers attack….
