Scammers are always finding new and clever ways to get you to click on a link. When clicked on the link can automatically download malware onto your computer or device. If you don’t take action quickly they may gain access to your passwords or take control of your device and lock you out.
One of the latest scams to be alert to tells you that your website domain name is due for renewal. They find out who your website hosting provider is (which is fairly easy), then make the email look as authentic as possible.
Recently one of my customers received this scam email. Although it appears to have been sent from VentraIP (where I host all my websites), the sender email address is obviously not legitimate. I believe they found the customer’s email address on the website, so if your email address is listed on your website you may receive a similar email.
Another email I recently received appeared to come from Meta (Facebook), and it happened right after I had created an ad on Facebook for one of my clients. Unfortunately I thought it was legitimate and clicked on the link. It downloaded some sort of malware onto my laptop, which opened my keychain where all my passwords are kept. Fortunately you need the password to access the keychain (on a Mac) so no damage was done. I immediately disconnected the internet and got my husband to clean the laptop.
Remember, if you receive an email and you’re not sure if it is authentic (or even if you do), it is very important NOT TO CLICK ANY LINKS. It is better to go to the organisation’s website and login to your account to check if the information is legitimate. Don’t click the link in the email. Sometimes they make it look like the sender email address is authentic. But if you click on “Message” and then “Raw source” (on a Mac), or on a Windows computer, right-click on the message and select “View message source”, you will be able to see the true source of the email.
If you’re not sure you can forward the email to me for verification.
