This is useful to know, it’s not uncommon for email accounts to be hacked. We have had a report this morning of a rogue email to a customer asking for another payment for their order. This was not us, this was someone had hacked his own e-mail and pretending to email him about the order they saw he had placed last week and was already delivered!
We use a triple encrypted e-mail service provider which is separate to our business server for website. Reason for this is to protect our emails when sending and receiving.
How It Happens:
- Email Hacking:
- If your email account is hacked, attackers gain access to your inbox.
- They can see your emails from retailers, receipts, and orders, which give them a clue about your shopping habits.
- Impersonating Retailers:
- Scammers can craft emails that look like they’re from a retailer you’ve interacted with. These emails might reference past orders or claim there’s an issue with your account.
- They might use similar-looking email addresses or even “spoof” the retailer’s actual address to trick you.
- Sending Fake Emails:
- These emails might contain links leading to fake websites that look like the retailer’s real site.
- They may ask you to log in, provide payment details, or confirm personal information.
- Social Engineering:
- Scammers might use the information in your inbox to make their emails more convincing, such as including specific order details or retailer names.
Red Flags to Watch Out For:
- Unusual Sender Address: Check if the sender’s email address matches the official domain (e.g., [email protected]).
- Generic Greetings: Emails saying “Dear Customer” instead of your name.
- Urgent Requests: Warnings about account suspensions or fraudulent charges designed to make you act quickly.
- Suspicious Links: Hover over links to see where they actually lead. If they don’t match the retailer’s website, don’t click them.
- Attachments: Retailers rarely send attachments like .zip or .exe files. These could contain malware.
How to Protect Yourself:
- Secure Your Email Account:
- Use a strong, unique password.
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) to make it harder for hackers to access your email.
- Verify Emails:
- Cross-check any email that seems suspicious by logging into the retailer’s official website directly (not through the email link).
- Contact the retailer’s support team if in doubt.
- Don’t Reuse Passwords:
- Use different passwords for your email and retailer accounts. If one is compromised, the others stay safe.
- Update Software:
- Keep your email app and devices updated to protect against vulnerabilities.
