How to Recognize an Email Scammer?

Critical thinking and attention to detail when working with information are top skills in the 21st century. They are needed not only for study and work, but also in more important situations, such as recognizing the tricks of the online scammers. Let's take a look at how to spot an online scammer, even if they're very good at pretending.

What to Watch Out For?

Mistakes in the Text

Scammers who send mass messages often make mistakes in texts. Often this is not about literacy, it is just that mass emailing can get your account blocked. That is why you should look out for misplaced commas, extra spaces, the use of English letters and symbols instead of Russian ones, and typos. If the message seems sloppy and illiterate, it is a reason to be wary.

Request or Offer

If someone asks you to transfer money as a loan, vote via a link, or claims that you have won the lottery, clarify the details. Even if it's a message from someone you know - their account may have been hacked. For example, ask them about specific events, conditions, places or people that only you know about and which have never been mentioned in correspondence. If the sender is a scammer, he or she will probably try to avoid replying.

Correspondence Style

If the message is from someone you know, analyze its style. Pay attention to tone, punctuation, use of capital letters, unusual words and factual errors. If someone you know is behaving strangely - for example, calling you by your full name when they usually use a nickname, or claiming to need money from their sister who doesn't exist - this is a clear sign of a hack.

Images

Don't be lazy and do an image search in your browser if you have received a strange ad. That way you'll know if it's an original image, a stock image, or one that's been completely copied from another suspicious source. It is better not to click on the image, but to take a screenshot - a phishing link may be embedded in the picture.

Conclusion

If you have noticed at least one of the above signs in correspondence, it is a signal that someone may be trying to deceive you. Do not fall for lures and threats, even if you are told that you are talking to an acquaintance, an official representative of an organization or an authority. Be vigilant and polite, but persistent: you have the right not to respond to a message or give out personal information until you are 100% sure of the authenticity of the request.

These are the basic rules of online safety in correspondence. To learn more about the rules and methods, check out our other resources.