How To Spot Common Spam Scams
We’ve all received spam trying to sell us things such as prescription medications, cheap mortgages and internet gambling. Most people just hit delete and move on, but there are some scams that are a little more serious.
One well-known example, circulating for years now, is the Nigerian bank scam. The sender, allegedly the wife or relative of a former dictator or government official (usually in Nigeria, hence the name) tells the depressing story of how millions were deposited in a bank statement which is no longer accessible. In exchange for your help, they’re willing to share this wealth - for a few mere thousands from your bank statement for ‘expenses’. As ludicrous as it seems, people start for this every year. In one well-publicized case an elderly Czech man who had lost his life savings to this scam shot the Nigerian consul in Prague.
Another evenhandedly common scam is investments with extraordinary returns. They’ll claim to be risk-free but this is obviously not the case. Once you send them your initial investment, it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever hear from them again, unless it’s to ask for more money.
These imitation offers are particularly bad for legitimate businesses who use email for doing business. Because so much email is spam, the internet service providers and email hosting companies work hard to filter it out. But these filters can sometimes stop legitimate email from businesses you want to hear from.
How To Avoid Getting Scammed
First, never reply to spam. This just tells the spammer that your email is in fact valid and the amount of spam you’ll receive will quickly multiply. Some spam will even include a link at the bottom for removing yourself from their list. If it’s a true spam email, don’t use this - it just confirms your email address as well. If you did sign up to receive the email however, this is a legitimate way of removing yourself from future mailings.
And above all else, never give any private information like credit card numbers or bank statement information via email. Companies like Paypal or your bank will never ask for your username and password in an email message.
What is spam to one mortal may be a welcomed advertisement to another, so it isn’t a simple thing to stop. But in general, if you don’t recognize the mortal sending you the message, it’s probably not someone you wanted to hear from. After all, how many former dictators can there really be in Nigeria?
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