Did I really win the lottery? How to spot fake e-mails.

Security

February 26, 2020

Some emails are obviously not what they appear to be…like that one that tells you about your lottery win when you never bought a ticket and all they need is a tiny small fee to get you your money. However, not every fake e-mail is as obvious as those. Spotting the difference between legitimate and fake e-mails is getting more difficult as criminals become more sophisticated in their efforts.

Don’t win the “Scam” Lottery

CenturyLink hopes you really do win the lottery someday…but until then, we have included a few signs below to help you determine if the e-mail you received may be a scam:

Don’t open e-mails with attachments or links from people you do not know. These types of e-mails are often vehicles for malicious software.
Examine e-mail addresses closely. Fake e-mails often use e-mail addresses with similar-sounding titles but from fictitious e-mail boxes. Quite often, a fake e-mail address will include signs, symbols, or strings of letters.
Don’t respond to e-mails with deadlines, or those marked “urgent,” as they are often fake e-mails. The need to respond to a “limited time” offer, or a request to respond to avoid penalties, are often signs that the e-mail is not legitimate.
Watch out for poor grammar – it is often a telltale sign of a fake e-mail. Many e-mail scams originate in foreign countries, which means the author of the e-mail doesn’t speak or write English fluently.
Watch out for official-looking e-mail addresses that end with free e-mail services, such as support@gmail, cardservices@hotmail, or technicalsupport@yahoo. A quick glance may make you think it is a real e-mail, but it is not. Scammers use this approach because they know people are used to being contacted with similar e-mail addresses from trusted companies.