Example Messages to Review

All companies, people, phone numbers and links in these examples are made up. Some are scams and some are legitimate. Decide for yourself before opening the red flags.

Email 1

Red flags for Email 1
  • Scam
  • The sender's domain uses the number 1 in place of the letter l ("northfie1d")
  • The link actually goes to verify-login.net. The real domain is the last part before the first single slash
  • "Dear Customer" instead of your name
  • A 24 hour deadline and a threat to suspend the account
  • What to do: don't click. Log in by typing the bank's address yourself, or call the number on the back of your card

Email 2

Red flags for Email 2
  • Scam (this is called business email compromise, or CEO fraud)
  • The CEO is using a personal Gmail account instead of the company email
  • Gift cards are almost never a legitimate business payment
  • Asking you to keep it secret stops you from checking with anyone
  • Uses authority and urgency ("in meetings all day")
  • What to do: contact Dana through a known channel, like their office phone or a company chat, and report the email

Email 3

Red flags for Email 3
  • Most likely legitimate
  • It comes from the college's real domain, and it doesn't ask you to click anything, log in, or send information
  • It gives you ways to check that you already know about (a phone extension and a physical location)
  • Even so, if you weren't sure, you could call the Help Desk to confirm

Email 4

Red flags for Email 4
  • Scam (this is a common way to deliver malware)
  • The attachment ends in .zip, not .pdf. A double extension hides the real file type
  • "Enable Content" turns on macros, which can run malicious code
  • No company name, no contact person, and a generic sender address
  • Pressure: "final notice", late fees, collection
  • What to do: don't open the attachment. Check with your accounts payable team whether this vendor and invoice exist

Text Message 1

Red flags for Text 1
  • Scam
  • Delivery companies don't text you links to fix an address with a deadline
  • The odd domain ending (.top) and the short random link
  • It works because most people are expecting a package at any given time
  • What to do: if you are expecting a package, check the tracking number on the store's website or app

Text Message 2

Red flags for Text 2
  • Scam (sometimes called the "Hi Mom" scam)
  • A new unknown number, an urgent request for money, and a reason you can't call to check
  • No name is used, so the scammer can send the same text to thousands of people
  • What to do: call or text your child on their old number, or use a family code word

Text Message 3

Red flags for Text 3
  • Legitimate, if you just tried to log in
  • If you didn't just try to log in, someone else may have your password. Change it right away
  • A common follow-up scam is a call or text saying "we sent you a code by mistake, please read it back to us". Never share the code

Text Message 4

Red flags for Text 4
  • Scam
  • A small amount makes people pay without thinking, and the goal is to steal your card details
  • Threat of a much bigger late fee
  • No toll agency name and a generic domain
  • What to do: if you think you owe a toll, go to your toll agency's website by typing the address yourself

Text Message 5

Red flags for Text 5
  • Could be either. Real banks send texts like this, and scammers copy them
  • The risk is the phone number. If you call it, a "fraud agent" may ask for your card number, PIN or a code to "cancel" the charge
  • What to do: don't use the number in the text. Call the number on the back of your card or check your account in the bank's app

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