6 Tips to Avoid Email Scams - and Financial Ruin!

While the average email user knows to avoid giving out social security numbers or dates of birth, few realize that scam email criminals already have this information in the first place! Thanks to "public" records, all of the information that you provide to the utility companies, court systems, employers, or other legitimate entities is left wide open for the world to see. A scary thought, to say the least!

Email criminals search the Internet looking for this information, most of which anyone can obtain for less than $2 US thanks to websites like Intellus and PeopleSearch. What these criminals don't have is a few key information pieces, such as your occupation, personal phone number, or bank account information. So how can you know if an email you receive is an email scam, or legitimate?

Internet criminals might be smart, but you can be smarter! Follow these 6 steps to avoid being taken advantage of by a scam email!

1. Scam email tip #1: Huge Money

Any email that was created with the intent to defraud you will include large, enticing sums of money. Criminal masterminds, for the most part, don't bother with petty cash. If you see huge money amounts, rest assured, its an email scam.

2. Scam email tip #2: Foreign origins

I have received countless scam emails in my inbox over the years. All of them, and I repeat, all of them, have been of foreign origin. Or, I should say, CLAIM to be from foreign entities. Common locations include Nigeria, China, Africa, Kenya, and the Phillipines, among others. If the email says that the person is from another country, it is probably an email scam.

3. Scam email tip #3: Bad English

Despite modern technology, Internet criminals from other countries still have difficulty speaking or writing proper English. If you receive a questionable email, you'll see that the message is riddled with grammar mistakes. The average American, even someone who has bad spelling skills, don't mess up this much or this often! Email scams, on the other hand, are riddled with mistakes that stick out like a sore thumb. If you see these mistakes, rest assured, its a scam.

4. Scam email tip #4: Sender's Name/ Sender's Email don't match

In most, but not all, email scams, the sender will say that their name is totally different from what is indicated in the sender's email address. For example, in a scam email I recently received, the sender's name was "Mr. Wang Li", but the email address was "ericamoore24". Why would someone of Japanese heritage use an American sounding email? This is a clear indication that you have received a scam email!

5. Scam email tip #5: Money Order/ Money Gram

If you receive an email that asks you to receive a large sum of money via money gram, money order, western union, or any other means of money transfer, you could be setting yourself up for email fraud. While it may seem like a great, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, chances are that the money you get will be "fake". Likewise, the banks will not recognize the scam for 2 - 4 weeks, giving the crooks plenty time to collect - and run! You'll be sitting at home, peaceful and content, then suddenly - "Ring!!!!" - its the bank, your transaction bounced, and the police are on their way! In other words, if the message mentions anything about money grams, money orders, or western union, its an email scam!

6. Scam email tip #6: Get Personal

So you've been getting this same email, from the same person. You want to try it. You want to believe. You are certain that nothing bad could happen to you. Fine, try it, if you're so bound and determined to do so. But before you do, get personal with the other party. Ask THEM for their personal information, especially a phone number. And while you're at it, why not try calling them? Granted, a long distance phone call might cost you, but the price will be much less than what you'd pay should you be involved in email fraud! If the other party won't give you their name, address, occupation, phone number, and age, then why should you believe them? After all, they are asking you, a total stranger, for these things, right? Isn't it fair for you to request the same? And guess what? When you do call the party, chances are they won't speak English! Are you still convinced that they are legit?

Source:

Personal experiences with scam emails, fraudulent emails, scam artists, and communications with said parties over the course of approximately 5 years.