Avast, me hearties! Yonder question be about ye curious phenomenon of scurvy spam emails sailin' from yer account, Kurt. Explain yerself!
2023-09-12
Arrr, me hearties! Sometimes yer crew and kin be gettin’ blasted with foul spam from yer electronic missives! Fear not, for Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson shall shed light on this matter, and teach ye the ways to safeguard yer precious information. Avast, me mateys!
In the language of a 17th-century pirate, ye may be wonderin' how them scurvy spammers be sendin' ye emails that look like they be comin' from yer own account or a matey ye know. Ye might be thinkin' that yer email be hacked or that yer friend's account be compromised. The truth be, these types o' deceivin' emails ain't really comin' from them addresses. They be just pretendin' to be 'em. This be called "spoofin'," and it be an effective phishing technique used by scallywags to trick ye into openin' their messages, clickin' on harmful links, and givin' away yer personal information. Take these two instances from Linda and James, who both experienced this spoofin' scam firsthand and be sharin' how the attempted attacks unfold. "I have been receivin' spam, like everyone else, but what I've noticed be the spam be comin' from and to me email address. I suspected it be comin' from me server, but there be no trace o' the emails in the sent logs. How be this possible?" – Linda, Barnegat, New Jersey "I have been receivin' spam emails from a matey o' mine. It has their email address in the from field. Me matey told me they never sent this. How be scallywags able to send emails from other accounts?" – James, Tampa, Florida Great questions, me hearties. It starts with a scallywag fakin' an email address to make it look like it's comin' from someone else. It be a simple and dangerous way for scallywags to deceive ye. They can get yer email address or yer matey's email addresses from data breaches, websites, social media, or public directories. Then they can use 'em to send ye phishing emails that seem legit. CLICK TO GET KURT’S FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH SECURITY ALERTS, QUICK TIPS, TECH REVIEWS AND EASY HOW-TO’S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER MORE: DON’T FALL FOR THAT DECEPTIVE EMAIL ASKING FOR YOUR HELP When an email comes from yer own address, it be likely to avoid bein' labeled as spam. Instead, the message will typically go straight to the priority inbox since yer account thinks it be from ye. This makes ye much more likely to view the email. The scallywag also will use yer own address to convince ye that they have access to yer accounts. Many times, the goal o' these emails be to attempt to steal yer sensitive information or take yer doubloons. The reasonin' be similar for why they may use a matey's email. Ye be more likely to click on a link from a matey rather than from a stranger. IS ALEXA SECRETLY LISTENING TO YER PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS? The scallywag may threaten ye, claimin' to expose yer personal information. And when ye see they sent the message from yer own email address, ye may believe that they do have access to yer email account. Sometimes, the scallywag may also show a phone number or password o' yers to scare ye further. In reality, they do not have access but have purchased this information from a data leak or dug yer private info from nefarious crevices on the dark web. It be an attempt to trick ye into payin' ransom for information the scallywag does not actually have. MORE: HOW TO TELL IF YER PHONE HAS BEEN HACKED MORE: DON’T FALL FOR THIS LATEST ANTIVIRUS PROTECTION SCAM If an email looks a bit off, ye should always play it safe and not click on it. Ye can also check the sender’s address, the subject line, the spellin' and grammar, the attachments, and the links for anything suspicious. Ask the matey who supposedly sent the message about it. If they don’t remember sendin' it, then it be likely their account was spoofed or possibly hacked. GET SECURITY ALERTS WITH THE FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER - CLICK HERE If ye find signs o' spoofin' on yer account, ye should first check yer "sent" folder. If ye see suspicious emails in the folder that ye know ye haven’t sent, it most likely means yer account was hacked. Ye should change yer password immediately and report the incident to yer email