During the past week, a few VBR members received suspicious emails and brought them to our attention. These emails are what's known as "phishing," a cyber attack that uses a disguised email to trick the email recipient into believing that the message is something they want or need. It's often disguised as a real or plausibly real company or person with whom the victim does business. Scammers may also use text or copycat websites.
One way to detect if an email is scam is to look at the sender address. The scammer may use an address that is similar to a colleagues' email, but is edited in some small way.
Trust your instincts if you receive a suspicious email. Don't click on any links within the email, or open any attached documents. Also, do not forward the email or reply to the sender.
The Federal Trade Commission offers very helpful tips on fraud prevention and detecting if that email in your inbox is, in fact, a scam.
