Email Scams: How to Identify an Email Scam

There are many people on the Internet who want to take your money and in some cases, much more than that. There are people out there who make it their living to take your money, personal information and in some instances, even take your life and well being and could put in it jeopardy if given the opportunity. There have been many reported instances of people meeting off of the Internet and ending up being victim to a violent or heinous crime. If you want to be able to protect yourself from these people, here are some tips you should consider when opening an email and identifying a potential threat.

The first thing that you should look for is if the email has come from anyone on your contact list. If the email is not from your contact list and it ends up in the junk folder, then it is probably someone trying to get some money out of you in one way or another. The junk email folder is there for a reason and it is to identify scam artists and unsolicited email.

Another way to know if you being scammed in an email is to make sure that the email is legitimate by responding to the email and verifying all the information. If the email has spelling errors or asks for personal information, then it is most likely a scam. Never provide any information and verify the email and corporation or person you are dealing with to the best of your abilities.

If the email asks you to share your life history or it is someone trying to befriend you suspiciously, it is probably a scam and these emails are best to be avoided. Always make sure when communicating by email that the person on the other end can provide you with all the information that you want to verify them with. If they cannot, the email is most likely a scam.

Also make sure that the email, if unsolicited has an opt out link or some method of removal so that they cannot contact you in the future. If the email does not have this in it anywhere, then it is considered spam and it guaranteed to be a scam. Another way that you can check and see if the email is a scam or fraudulent, is to view the source header of the email. If there is no clearly identified email source or service provider that you can contact to make sure the email is legitimate, then the email is going to be a scam. If you receive email that is unsolicited and you believe it to be a scam, make sure you contact the abuse department that should be listed in the email header. You can also contact the Federal Trade Commission for more information on reporting Internet crime.