{"id":19439,"date":"2022-03-11T17:15:45","date_gmt":"2022-03-11T13:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/how-to-protect-from-online-scam\/19439\/"},"modified":"2022-03-11T17:16:21","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T13:16:21","slug":"how-to-protect-from-online-scam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/how-to-protect-from-online-scam\/19439\/","title":{"rendered":"8 more tips for spotting online scammers"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve already covered the most obvious signs that someone is trying to scam you online<\/a>. But it\u2019s not always easy to spot a scam at first glance. So, before you transfer money or enter card details, it\u2019s worth spending a bit more time and effort on checking e-mails and websites. To help, we\u2019ve compiled eight tips to help you do just that.<\/p>\n

1. Check the e-mail address<\/h2>\n

Before clicking on a link in an e-mail or replying, take a closer look at the letter\u2019s From<\/em> field. It consists of two parts: one for the sender\u2019s name, one (more importantly) for the actual e-mail address. The sender\u2019s name can be anything, which scammers often exploit by using the name of the company they\u2019re pretending to represent.<\/p>\n

But replacing the real e-mail address (the bit with the @ sign) is much harder, so this is where attackers can slip up. In most scam e-mails, the sender\u2019s real address will either have nothing to do with the company being impersonated, or look similar to the real one, but not identical \u2014 with one or more characters replaced (for example, the letter \u201cO\u201d with the number \u201c0\u201d\u009d), an extra word, etc.<\/p>\n

Spotted a typo or inconsistency? Or the sender\u2019s address is utter gibberish? Do not reply or click any links in it, but send it to the Spam folder straight away.<\/p>\n

2. Examine the links in the e-mail<\/h2>\n

If the message contains hyperlinks or buttons like \u201cGet a discount\u201d, \u201cClaim your free gift\u201d, \u201cRead more\u201d, or any other obvious call to action, always check what\u2019s behind it.<\/p>\n

If you hover the mouse cursor over the link or button (taking care not to click by mistake), you will see the actual address of the web resource the senders want you to visit. Find the official website of the company in a search engine and compare the URL with the link in the e-mail. If the addresses do not coincide, for example, the link has a different domain (say .org or some .xyz instead of .com), do not open the page.<\/p>\n

\"Always<\/a>

Always check what actually is behind a button or a link<\/p><\/div>\n

While you\u2019re at it, go to the official website from the search results and see if it mentions the discount\/gift\/promotion the suspicious e-mail is telling you about. If it doesn\u2019t, it\u2019s likely a scam.<\/p>\n

3. Take a look at the site\u2019s security certificate<\/h2>\n

Some characters are so similar that the naked eye is easily deceived. Therefore, we suggest another quick way to check who owns the site \u2014 after you\u2019ve gone there. Let\u2019s consider the example of Google Chrome (in other browsers the names of menu items may differ slightly).<\/p>\n