In 2020, people spent more time at home than in typical years. For many people, that equated to spending more time online with email or browsing the web. Many businesses and local governments have required people to work from home. The bad guys (cyber criminals) have noticed this trend just as much as businesses.
We have noticed far more emails from criminals coming to us on our work emails at Financial Journey Partners. Fortunately, we have email scanners that “quarantine” dangerous emails and we have all been trained on things to watch for before we click or download anything.
We have also heard several stories from clients about attempts to scam them out of their money.
A very common approach by cyber criminals is to send people emails that look like they are from legitimate sources, only to find out they are scams. These are often referred to as “phishing” emails where they are fishing for more private information!
Types of Phishing Emails
- That offer that is just a bit too good to believe it is true
- Tax refunds or error notifications. The IRS will always write you; they will not email you
- Request to confirm your identity or transaction that you didn’t expect
- Your CEO at work needs you to provide your personal information
Tips on How to Spot Suspicious Emails
- Often poorly written with spelling errors or unexpected word usage.
- Logo doesn’t look quite right.
- Company URL is not exactly the same – like Amason vs Amazon.
- Often very little text in the email with a URL.
Clients have told us many stories of being contacted by cyber criminals and almost giving them significant amounts of money.
It is important to always be on the lookout for emails from cyber criminals and avoid clicking on links from unknown sources, suspicious too good to be true offers, or requests to provide personal information.
Remember to keep your guard up to avoid scams by cyber criminals and their schemes designed to part you from your money.
As Financial Advisors we are here to help. Keep your personal information secure and never give anyone access to your banking, IRA, 401K, or stock portfolio accounts other than your trusted advisor. We encourage our clients to make use of their personal eMoney Client Portal that also allows them to store documents in a secure vault.
We are always here for personal financial consultation from our office in San Jose, California and serve our clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, the greater state of California and their retirement homes throughout the U.S.