Here we are again with more scams. Seems as though we need to retire the tech podcast and just call this TSB, although we do cover other stuff on the blog and may turn it in to a podcast. So, not exactly sure about that one.
Anyhow, have you seen these six subject lines? Back on the 17th of the month, Kim posted this article we’re pulling from, and I want to put my own spin on this as I bet I’ve seen most of these.
Your delivery was unsuccessful
If you receive delivery packages, this one might fool you. Since I said I’d be putting my own spin on this, imagine that you get one of these emails. Now, did it identify you by name like some delivery services might? Did it include information like a tracking number? Probably not.
When something ships, the service will in most cases send you a message by email with your tracking number and a link to track it. Walmart, Target and others do. Amazon tells you to get the info from its app or your account. Know how you’re greeted and the steps for how your provider works.
Most email will come from a domain in which it has nothing to do with package deliveries. Your legitimate ones will come from the place you baught it from, or from the shipper’s domain set itself. The ones I’ve seen when looking at the links they have nothing to do with the delivery services either.
As Kim writes, most likely, they want information and you’ll get nothing in return.
Action required: Your Payment Was Declined
As experienced, when a payment fails, the web site will not move forward in processing your payment. If you have alerts turned on, it will email you or text you. Mine tells me the merchant, the denied charge, and offers a link to log in and take care of the issue.
Uber Eats, the app, will not move on with placing the order and notifying the restaurant of the order. They tell you there’s an issue, and prompts you to make another payment selection.
Make sure that you know what happens with your merchant and how they work when there is a failed payment. Also, the providers like UPS, Fedex and others are paid when the merchant ships your order as they pay for that, but you’re charged for the shipping as a reimbursement to them if you will. You will never be charged if they have to deliver it again for any reason. They already have the package.
RE: Anything
If you’ve been in email communication, most of us don’t start communicating with you with re: anything. The re (reply identifier) is mainly used when you reply to an email. Scammers want you to think you’ve been in communication with them, and this is one of the oldest tricks they’ll use to get you to click and deal with said email. Just leave it alone.
Payroll has been delayed
I know money is delayed in something I’m involved in, but I’ve not seen any email about it. But this one is more for people who might be expecting payment as part of business transactions or work they’ve done. If the boss doesn’t contact you about any issues, stay away, says Kim. Usually, the domain doesn’t even match who you’re dealing with, the links, the same way.
Dropbox: Document shared with you
This one is going to be difficult to spot, unless you know for sure what’s going on. For example, when you get a proper share from Dropbox, the web site and app will alert you to it as well as an email that links directly to dropbox. Make sure you check those links to see that it comes from Dropbox, it links to Dropbox, and the app and site seem to know about the share. Otherwise, just leave it alone. Kim says to Hover over those links. However, if you’re blind or have another disability that makes you use a screen reader, hovering doesn’t work. This is why the JRN has created a guide to help you learn how to get that information. Please go to the Getting Link information via access technology page on the tech blog to learn more about how to do this with a screen reader. EMHS also has this link under links around the site, other links.
Mail Notification: You have 5 Encrypted Messages
This is the newest one, and one I really have been asking questions on. When I read this, I was pretty much spot on it seems. You are never notified by email about encrypted messages or pending delivery of email! Kim says that there may be tools that might alert you to this type of thing, but you, the normal email user, won’t ever get email notificatinons like this.
Please read what she writes in this section, because it will shed light in the matter.
Here are some related blog posts I am putting here for those of you who have not seem them. The content is similar to this portion of the discussion and the JRN wants you to learn.
Related blog posts
- two emails claiming the same thing, identical in wording
- An email pretending to come from Cpanel, isn’t cpanel … can you smell trouble?
Camp Lejeune class action lawsuit
I don’t know what to say about this one. I’ve not seen anything about this, but did get the facebook things which I did verify as I entered information there and it knew me by name. I am suggesting that you read this directly from Kim, because I’ve not seen this one. That doesn’t mean I won’t, as I eventually do after reading about these things. It never fails!
More info
There is information on how to protect yourself like: safeguarding your info, use 2FA where possible, avoiding links and attachments unless you know who is sending them, using strong and unique passwords by using a pasword manager or using pass phraises that are different for each and every site and using some sort of AntiVirus and AntiMalware program. The JRN seems to lean on Malware Bytes for its accessibility. There are plenty of other options, and we are not in the business of recommending businesses unless we’ve used them.
On Email Host Security we have a list of resources including companies that are known to have accessible products or have been trusted through the years with our data.
Now, if you want to read Kin’s take, the article is titled Watch out for these 6 scammy email subject lines which will also be on EMHS’s resources page the next time we update.
Please stay safe out there. Be alert, be aware. Thanks for reading and finding the information of value.
If you find the article of value and want to donate, you may go over to the JRN donations page to do that.
We also have a link on EMHS if you wish to do that. Remember, sharing is how we do things here at the JRN, and I can’t do it without you. Make it a great day!
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