A New Email Scam Is Shockingly Realistic, Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Protecting Yourself

Iverson recommended checking the email address’ legitimacy whenever you receive any correspondence from unknown users. 

“Check whether the sender’s email domain matches the official organization’s website,” he said as one example.

“Also, if using Gmail, look for ‘show original message’ and review SPF, DKIM, and DMARC results.” These are essentially methods that verify the emailer’s domain to prevent spam, phishing attacks and other email security risks. To do this, click on the three-dot hamburger menu at the top right of your email and click “Show Original.”

“All three should ideally pass authentication checks,” Iverson said. In other words, it would say “PASS” next to all three options.

Scammers have become very sophisticated when masking domains. As a result, beware of “lookalike” domains with slight spelling variations. According to Iverson, if something seems too good (or too bad) to be true, it probably is.

Another thing to keep an eye out for is if a scammer sends a message “from” your own email address. Oftentimes, they are just spoofing your email address in the “from” address header.

“These scammers don’t have the time or ability to actually hack into your email accounts. They haven’t found some secret treasure trove of compromising photos. They’re just trying to scare unsuspecting people into coughing up money (or Bitcoin),” Iverson added. 

Don’t click unfamiliar links, especially related to payments.