Google Study Reveals Continued Effectiveness of Email Scams

Despite all the warnings and ubiquitous nature of email scams, it appears far too many people are still being fooled by them. This information comes from a recent study from Google published by Huffington Post. In the report, statistics now show up to 45% of people have given private information to an email scam, primarily because the email looked a little too convincing.

While you might think everyone can deduce an email scam based on public knowledge, many of those emails are becoming far too real looking to be seen as suspicious. Why are successful scam instances increasing? What steps should you take when you get an email that looks legitimate when it may not be?

Why So Many People Are Being Fooled

A vast number of email scams are using graphics that resemble real, popular websites. Sites like PayPal and even the IRS are being stunningly duplicated by sophisticated scam artists who figure that when someone sees anything related to one’s finances, it’s going to induce panic.

No doubt you’ve received some fake emails from something pretending to be from a bank or other financial service saying your account has been compromised. Perhaps you frequently make financial transactions with the real companies those scam emails are posing as. When something says your account is compromised or you owe money, immediate fear is going to set in.

This may explain some of the psychology of why so many people give out immediate information to these email scams thinking they need to take quick action. They don’t bother to stop and realize that few to any financial institutions are going to ask for private information through an email.

How can you warn your company employees about this so you don’t end up spreading a virus or end up compromising your company information to online thieves?

Working Up an Email Scam Policy

Of course, having a reliable company that can help protect you from these threats should always be essential. However, you can enact some safety policies with your employees to always ask a superior about an email they aren’t sure about. Plus, it’s important to enact the ever-growing two-step authentication process companies are starting to use to ensure better safety while working on computers.

Here at Global IP Networks, we have the tools available to help with all of this through our hosting solution. Contact us to find out more about how email scams can be avoided and how we can help your company run more efficiently without fear of security.