--- title: 10 Things I Know About ... Email scams description: 10 Things I Know About ... Email scams --- [![TowerWall](https://blog.towerwall.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Towerwall_July2021/images/head-logo-2.svg "TowerWall")](https://towerwall.com/) [![TowerWall](https://blog.towerwall.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Towerwall_July2021/images/towerwall-logo-white-test.svg "TowerWall")](https://towerwall.com/) - [Our Partners](https://towerwall.com/how-we-protect-you/our-technology-partners/) - Our Solutions - - Our Cybersecurity Solutions - We operationalize infosec, building security solutions that safeguard your most critical assets. - - [Solutions Overview](https://towerwall.com/cybersecurity-solutions/) - [Risk Assessments & Security Reviews](https://towerwall.com/cybersecurity-solutions/risk-assessments-security-reviews/) - [Program & Policy Development](https://towerwall.com/cybersecurity-solutions/program-policy-development/) - [Incident Response & Remediation](https://towerwall.com/cybersecurity-solutions/incident-response-remediation/) - [Managed Detection & Response](https://towerwall.com/cybersecurity-solutions/managed-detection-response/) - - [Compliance & Privacy](https://towerwall.com/cybersecurity-solutions/compliance-privacy/) - [Comprehensive Security Training](https://towerwall.com/cybersecurity-solutions/comprehensive-security-training/) - [Vulnerability Protection](https://towerwall.com/cybersecurity-solutions/vulnerability-protection/) - [Penetration Testing](https://towerwall.com/cybersecurity-solutions/penetration-testing/) - Virtual Security Officers - - Virtual Security Officer - Leverage the experience and security acumen of Towerwall’s on-demand security experts. - - [Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (VCISO)](https://towerwall.com/virtual-security-officers/virtual-chief-information-security-officer-vciso/) - [Virtual Data Protection Officer (vDPO)](https://towerwall.com/virtual-security-officers/virtual-data-protection-officer-vdpo/) - [Virtual Chief Privacy Officer (vCPO)](https://towerwall.com/virtual-security-officers/virtual-chief-privacy-officer-vcpo/) - We Advise - - We Advise - One-size security solutions only lead to failure. - Industries - [Higher Education](https://towerwall.com/industries/higher-education/) - [Financial Services & Banking](https://towerwall.com/industries/financial-services-banking/) - [Healthcare](https://towerwall.com/industries/healthcare/) - [BioPharma & Bio-Therapeutics](https://towerwall.com/industries/biopharma-bio-therapeutics/) - [Retail](https://towerwall.com/industries/retail/) - [Government](https://towerwall.com/industries/government/) - [Catholic Diocese](https://towerwall.com/industries/catholic-diocese-cybersecurity/) - [Cannabis](https://towerwall.com/industries/cannabis/) - [Small Business](https://towerwall.com/industries/small-business/) - [Enterprise](https://towerwall.com/industries/enterprise/) - Trends & Threats - [Remote Workforce](https://towerwall.com/trends-threats/remote-workforce/) - [Vendor Questionnaire](https://towerwall.com/trends-threats/vendor-questionnaire/) - [HIPAA](https://towerwall.com/trends-threats/hipaa/) - [Ransomware](https://towerwall.com/trends-threats/ransomware/) - [GDPR](https://towerwall.com/trends-threats/gdpr/) - [Cloud Security](https://towerwall.com/trends-threats/cloud-security/) - [Phishing](https://towerwall.com/trends-threats/phishing/) - [Cybersecurity Insurance](https://towerwall.com/trends-threats/cybersecurity-insurance/) - [Resources](https://towerwall.com/resources/) - - Resources - Our latest insights, events, and tools to keep you safe. - - [Insights](https://towerwall.com/resources/?resources_category=MTU%3D&focusarea=0&industries=0&search=) - [Webinars](https://towerwall.com/resources/?resources_category=MTg%3D&focusarea=0&industries=0&search=) - [Whitepapers](https://towerwall.com/resources/?resources_category=MTY%3D&focusarea=0&industries=0&search=) - [View All](https://towerwall.com/resources/) - [Company](https://towerwall.com/company/) - - Our Company - We are the industry’s leading cybersecurity preparedness partner. - - [Who We Are](https://towerwall.com/company/) - [Our Team](https://towerwall.com/company/our-team/) - [Our Approach](https://towerwall.com/our-approach/) - [Our Values](https://towerwall.com/company/our-values/) - - [Awards & Recognition](https://towerwall.com/company/awards-recognition/) - [Certifications & Affiliations](https://towerwall.com/company/certifications-affiliations/) - [Community Involvement](https://towerwall.com/company/community-involvement/) - [Careers](https://towerwall.com/company/careers/) - [Contact Us](https://towerwall.com/company/contact-us/) Topics Nigerian prince, Worcester Business Journal, Phishing, 10 Things I Know, COVID-19, email scam, cannabis, Enterprise # 10 Things I Know About ... Email scams [By Michelle Drolet](https://blog.towerwall.com/author/towerwall2020) [Read More](https://blog.towerwall.com/author/towerwall2020) 1 Minute Read February 05, 2020 ### 10. Nigerian prince lives. The royalty who wants to send you money is the oldest scam in the book, yet it continues to lure victims. Phishing works by creating false trust to give up log-in credentials, click a bogus URL or download a malware-infected file. ### 9. Avoid pain. Be aware successful phishing scams can result in stealing your identity, blocking access to your computer, and then demanding a hefty ransom to reinstate access. ### 8. Scammers too creative. With touchscreens popular now, you may find what appears to be a human hair follicle (digitized) or flea on your screen. Swipe it, and malware is downloaded. ### 7. Nudges work. We’re impatient people driven by a sense of urgency. Scammers exploit your natural impulse to click and be fooled. Emails may appear to come from someone you trust in your contacts. ### 6. Familiarity breeds trust. Scammers build bogus proxies of known institutions (banks) or payment providers (credit cards), copying logos and modifying the URL to fool you. Their success depends on your too-quick-to-click impulsive behavior. ### 5. Suspect all URLs. If you are suspicious of a link, take the smart precaution of validating the source and visit the bona fide site directly. Scammers are even falsifying HTTPS. ### 4. Don’t download. Always verify the person who sent you a file actually did send you a file to download. Sometimes distrust is the best policy. ### 3. Obey your instincts. Trusted sources like your bank or the U.S. Internal Revenue Service will never email you to ask that you reset your password or input personal identification by following a link. Any email asking for private data is most likely fraudulent. ### 2. Uncharitable charities. Contacts made by alleged charities are suspect, especially those designed to tug at your heartstrings. Seek out only known, reputable charities when making donations. ### 1 Always update. Never ignore requests from Windows or Apple to run updates. Many a million-dollar breach was a result of failing to do simple updates. Set your settings to automatically make these updates. [This article was originally posted in Worcester Business Journal >](https://www.wbjournal.com/article/10-things-i-know-about-email-scams) #### 10 Things I Know About ... Email scams Back to Top ## Related Insights ### ["Bridging the Cybersecurity Skills Gap: 3 Big Steps" Featured in InformationWeek Dark Reading](https://blog.towerwall.com/towerwalls-latest-article-bridging-the-cybersecurity-skills-gap-3-big-steps-featured-in-informationweek-dark-reading) Nigerian prince, Worcester Business Journal, Phishing, 10 Things I Know, COVID-19, email scam, cannabis, Enterprise ### [Towerwall's Latest Article "Secure Your Future with a Virtual CISO" Featured in Infosecurity Magazine](https://blog.towerwall.com/michelle-drolet-published-infosecurity-magazine-secure-future-virtual-ciso) Nigerian prince, Worcester Business Journal, Phishing, 10 Things I Know, COVID-19, email scam, cannabis, Enterprise [View All Insights](https://blog.towerwall.com) × ## Talk with us now about: #### Your security needs. - ![Phone](https://blog.towerwall.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Towerwall_July2021/images/phone-icon.svg "Phone") [Call 774.204.0700](tel:774.204.0700) - ![Mail](https://blog.towerwall.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Towerwall_July2021/images/mail-icon.svg "Mail") [Email Us](mailto:info@towerwall.com) ### The front line of cybersecurity.™ For over 23 years, Towerwall, a woman-owned business, has helped scores of companies safeguard their data and leverage their investment in IT with advanced information security technology solutions and services. 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