I’m a security expert – you’re in serious danger if you see three ‘red flags’ in your Gmail or Outlook
A CYBER-EXPERT has revealed the three “red flags” that an email is dangerous.
The U.S. Sun can now reveal the warning signs you must look out for in your inbox.
Dangerous emails can strike at any time, and even appear in trusted apps like Google Gmail or Microsoft Outlook.
The consequences of falling victim to a criminal email can be enormous.
You could end up with your private info or money in the hands of crooks – and dangerous malware installed on your device.
The U.S. Sun spoke to Paul Bischoff, Consumer Privacy Advocate at Comparitech, who revealed the dangerous warning signs to look out for.
One of the biggest red flags is “a misspelled domain name”, Bischoff told The U.S. Sun.
That’s what comes after the @ symbol in an email address.
Often crooks will create fake email addresses that are extremely close to an official organization or brand.
Look for strange spellings or unusual characters in an email address.
This can be a key sign you’re speaking to a fraudster.
The second warning sign is “if the email sent was unsolicited and contains a link”, Bischoff revealed.
This isn’t always dangerous, but you should treat any email like this with caution.
You might be perfectly safe, but it only takes one mistake to end up falling victim to a hacker.
Inspect the link without clicking it to make sure that you’re not going anywhere safe.
Verify the sender and ensure you’re speaking to who you think you are.
Thirdly, Bischoff warned that you must watch out for “if the email tries to instil a sense of urgency by rushing you into a decision before some arbitrary deadline”.
This is a classic scammer tactic, and isn’t just limited to email apps.
If someone sends urgent or threatening messages, it may be a tactic to make you act without thinking it through.
Take some time and verify any threats with the organization through a direct contact method – don’t use the details in the email.