Tech Safe Tips

»Mikey’s Tech Tips: Spotting Fake Emails and Messages

Published March 2025

Cyber criminals attempt to trick people into giving up information with scary tactics. This is called Social Engineering. It is so important to be vigilant and have your guard up when you receive emails and text messages even when they appear legitimate.

Some common tactics to look out for:

• They claim to be someone you know or trust. This includes persons of authority: A family member, your boss, your bank, the police, the government, or a business with which you’re familiar.
• They create a sense of fear or urgency to get you to offer up sensitive information or click on a malicious link.
• They tell you that there are unexpected issues with online accounts: passwords, compromised personal or financial information, etc.
• Requests for sensitive information: passwords, credit card numbers, social insurance numbers,
• etc.
• Requests for money or gift cards.
• Warnings that require immediate action to avoid consequences: Threats with fines, arrests, penalties, blackmail. Their goal is to scare you into doing what they want.

The best way to protect yourself against cyber attacks is to equip yourself with information to recognize signs from would-be scammers:

1. Anytime you get an email, text message, or phone call that requires you to share ANY personal information, alarm bells should be ringing in your head.
2. Almost all legitimate organizations will NEVER ask you to share personal information by text message or email.
3. Emails from suspicious individuals commonly come from email addresses that do not at all match the organization or person that they are pretending to be. (Even if the email address appears accurate, that does not necessarily mean that it is.)
4. These messages often have incorrect grammar, spelling mistakes, and use emojis‼️/improper punctuation!!!!!!

Being safe online is so important. If you are uncertain or things appear too good to be true, it probably is. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

You can always go DIRECTLY to the source. Most organizations' websites have contact information available. Call them directly to find out if the message you received is in fact real. (Go directly to the organizations' website using your internet browser. Do not go to their website using a link from any email.)

If the organization has a physical location, there is no harm in going directly to them. Most organizations will be able to confirm if an email is real on the spot or provide you with appropriate next steps.