Transcript Email Safety - Minnesota Literacy Council

**This is not meant to make you fearful of email. The goal of this
discussion is to make sure all users are aware of the dangers of
email and ultimately learn how to avoid those dangers. **
EMAIL
SAFETY
What to be aware of and
how to avoid problems.
SCAMS
There are four different types of scams:
Viruses and worms
Phishing
SPAM
Chain Letters
VIRUSES AND WORMS
What are they?
 Emails that are send with attachments that are actually viruses
 They often look like emails from someone you know
Example:
PHISHING
 Phishing: a trick to get you to enter personal information such as
 Credit card information
 Banking info
 Social security number
 Passwords
 Email or physical address
 Example:
 You receive an email from a Nigerian prince who needs you to help get $50 million out of
Nigeria. He must leave in secret and transfer the money to your account. He promises
you $5 million after he gets to safety.
 There probably never was a Nigerian prince, and whomever sent the email will take
all your money.
PASSWORD SCAM EXAMPLE
“Dear Valued PayPal Customer,
You are receiving this email as a part of a
security check. Someone has been accessing your
PayPal account and attempting to take your money.
Please verify you are the owner of this account by
sending us your login name and password.”
Even if this looks exactly like a PayPal email, real
companies never ask for your information over
email.
NEVER send your
personal information
via email. Social
security, bank, etc.
Especially to people
you don’t know.
SPAM
Spam is unsolicited commercial emails—unwanted ads
in your inbox
May be to phish for information or transmit a virus
Sample subjects:
 RE: Pharmacy sale 80% off!
 Ama-zingly fresh sk!n with n0 wrinkles
 We renamed your account
 From an old friend
 Don’t Miss Out!
Don’t even open these emails
ANTI-SPAM
Delete without opening!
 If you open it, don’t click and don’t reply
Gmail has good spam filters that catch most spam
Don’t buy anything from companies that email you
randomly! Especially not medicine!
QUESTIONS?
WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR
Does not address you
personally
THE SUBJECT LINE
 You can learn a lot about an email from the bit that is
shown in the inbox
 Ask yourself the following question before you open an
email
Do you know this email
address? Username?
Does the first text
shown address you
directly?
EMAIL SAFETY
In the next few slides we will try to determine
whether an email is safe to open, or should be
simply deleted when received
 Look at all emails listed, think before you speak
 Teacher will ask you to raise your hand if you think
the email is safe and then ask who thinks it is unsafe
SAFE OR UNSAFE? WHY?
[email protected]
LOSE WEIGHT FAST
Let me hlep you lose that last 10 lbs!
[email protected]
Monday’s Class
Hello Abdoul,We wanted to let you know
[email protected]
Re: Re:THANKS!
Hey Susan,
I wanted send you a tha
SAFE OR UNSAFE? WHY?
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Target request for interview
State Farm Account Update
Pics from my trip!!!!!
Hello Jacob, after reviewing your application
Valued patron, We need to update your password
TAKE a look @ pics form Hawaii