Usually, a phishing e-mail will appear to be a legitimate e-mail from your bank or a social media website like Facebook. It will have an urgent subject line like “Problem with Your Bank/Account” and the content will demand you validate your account by filling out an online form. When you click the link provided, the site will look remarkably similar to the real website. This is why phishing scams are so dangerous. They’re often successful. [6] X Research source You should regard any e-mail asking for personal information over the internet with skepticism. Call your bank to verify the legitimacy of any e-mail you receive, and google the subject line if the e-mail’s from a social media site. Chances are, your google search results will identify the subject line as part of a recent scam. [7] X Research source There is also a website, known as the Anti-Phishing Workshop Group, that keeps and up-to-date catalogue of various phishing scams. Look through their listings if you receive any suspicious e-mails you suspect are phishing scams. [8] X Research source
Oftentimes, Trojan e-mails will have a strange subject line and then ask recipients to open an attachment. For example, the popular “Love Bug” virus arrived with the subject line “I Love You” and then asked users to open an attachment to receive a love letter, resulting in their computer being infected with a virus. [9] X Research source Trojan e-mails may also pose as a virtual postcard, promise a funny joke in an attachment, or offer to install a virus sweeper for free. In general, do not open attachments from senders you do not recognize. [10] X Research source
Log into your Gmail account. Select the email that you want to report. You can do this either by opening the email or by selecting the check mark next to it. Click on the Spam button. It looks like a Stop sign with an exclamation point in it.
Simply select the email that you want to report, then click on Junk. A drop down menu may come up, if it does, then select the appropriate category to report the email as.
Log onto your Yahoo account and click “Yahoo Account” on the top of the page. From there, click “abuse and spam. “[11] X Research source Yahoo will offer a variety of categories to choose from, such as “Report phishing” and “Received spam e-mail or IM message. " Select the category that is most relevant. You will be redirected to a form asking for basic information, such as your e-mail address, the address of the suspicious e-mail, and details about its contents, subject line, and header. Fill out this information to the best of your ability.
Emailbusters. org will publicize frauds in order to make people aware of what messages to avoid or delete. [12] X Research source Ip-Address-Lookup-V4 is a site that can find the sender’s e-mail and IP address. This can help identify scammers. [13] X Research source If the fraudulent e-mail is asking for banking or other personal information, you should report it to the FBI’s Complaint Center. The proper authorities can find and penalize scammers. This minimizes the number of victims of fraud. [14] X Research source
In general, only open attachments from people you know. If you work in a field, such as publishing, where you may receive e-mail attachments from strangers make sure the e-mails are legitimate. Phony e-mails can be spotted by heavy grammatical errors, as they’re often produced via a spambot and not a person. [18] X Research source
If possible, find an antivirus software that updates on its own. Oftentimes, people accidentally forget to update so having automatic updates might better protect you against e-mail and fraud. [19] X Research source Make sure any antivirus software you use has an email scanning system in place. This can help you avoid downloading attachments that contain viruses. [20] X Research source
Most commercial banks have a strict policy against asking for personal information via e-mail. You’re more likely to receive a phone call to confirm suspicious charges than an e-mail. If you receive an e-mail asking for personal information, phone your bank to confirm before filling out any online forms. [21] X Research source Social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter, all have e-mail policies regarding your account’s security. Familiarize yourself with these policies and know when and why an e-mail from Twitter or Facebook might be appropriate. [22] X Research source
