“Personalized” Email Threats

If you’re used to generic spammy email scams, this new version might scare you.

Who Is It Targeting: Email users

What Is It: Spam email that seems to know too much about you

What Are They After: These emails contain a good bit of information about you, like your name, employer, city and state, or other data. If these are fake, where are scammers getting the information? It’s easily gleaned from your social media posts and profile.

The content of the email is scary, too. Many of them claim that you have done something illegal, like downloading pirated content or looking at pornography, which isn’t always illegal depending on the format. They may also just claim to be spying on you, watching your every online move. You’re instructed to click the link to resolve the charges or scheme against you, which instead installs a virus on your computer or device.

How Can You Avoid It:

• You will never be contacted by email about pending charges against you.
• Set your profile and posts to the strictest privacy settings to avoid strangers gathering info.
• Never click a link in an email unless you were specifically expecting it.

If you think you may be a victim of identity theft, contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at (888) 400-5530. Find more information about current scams and alerts here. For full details of this scam check out this article from Better Business Bureau.