Anatomy of an Email Scam

Academic Technology reminds Blinn faculty, staff and students that scammers will try and get you to click suspicious links, or download malicious files. They do this by using the following psychological techniques to get you to open and click on their emails:

"Open Now!"
"You will lose your benefits if you do not respond immediately."
"Click to resolve this problem."

"You will lose access …"
"Click now or …"
"Your subscription has expired. You must renew now."

"There is something wrong with your account."
"Someone has been trying to login to your account."
"You need to change your password."

"Please see the attached invoice."
"Please update your account details."
"You are eligible for a refund. Click here."

Do not open the email.
If opened, do not click any links or download any files.
Check with a trusted source. For instance, if the email has an invoice, ask an appropriate person if it is expected.
If you think a financial account has been compromised, open your web browser and sign in directly. Do not try to sign in from a link provided in any email, even if you think the message is from your financial institution.

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams
https://www.itgovernance.co.uk/blog/5-ways-to-detect-a-phishing-email
https://www.securitymetrics.com/blog/7-ways-recognize-phishing-email

Anatomy of an Email Scam

quick links

resources

safety & security

departments

Administration

Anatomy of an Email Scam

A Sense of Urgency

Threats

False Appeals for Your Attention

False Financial Alarms

When faced with a questionable email, users should do the following:

Sources

quick links

resources

safety & security

departments

Administration