How to protect yourself from malicious spam emails

Spam emails are unauthorised electronic messages sent in bulk from outside parties. The intent varies, some promote legitimate products or services whilst others link to scam websites requesting bank account details. Others will encourage you to click on links that contain a virus or ransomware.

Prevent spam emails from reaching your inbox by:

• Not sharing your email address online,
• have a separate email address for online shopping or subscriptions,
• have separate email addresses for email and work,
• use an email system with a strong spam filter,
• ensure your computers firewall and antivirus software is up to date, and
• use a browser with anti-virus/spam protection and set security to high in your browser settings.

Protect yourself and your business from malicious spam

Even with the best prevention methods your will still receive spam. Even the best of us can fall for spam emails.

Never click on email links even if they come from someone you know. Scam emails will often impersonate someone you know and expect to get an email from. Advanced scammers will use a familiar subject and even change the email address to look like the person you know.

Even if the email does come from a legitimate associate, their email address may have been hacked. These types are especially tricky to notice, especially if you have regular correspondence with the individual or business.

If you receive an email with a link that you need to open, always call the sender first, and ask them if the email came from them. This will guarantee that you don’t get taken by malicious spam emails.

Get in the habit of following best practice by never clicking on email links without verifying with the sender on the phone beforehand. If you receive banking details from someone you know, always call them first and verify the details before making a payment.

These extra security steps might be annoying but will ensure you never fall for spam emails.