Plain Text Confusing Scam Attempt
The original plain text scam attempt will always attempt a comeback – don’t be tempted. These emails from a generically named sender will talk about something interesting (normally involving money) on a personal level in hopes to confuse the receiver. A hopeful thought will normally pop into your head, something like, ‘what if it is legit?’ It’s not – don’t click any links or open any attachments.
When looking at Figure A you can see how simple this email is. It is straight to the point, grabs your attention and makes you confused and want to open the attachment to learn more. The personal tone, as if you have spoken before, is a ploy to attract enough interest for you to open the attachment.
Some notes to consider when receiving an email of this nature include:
- Asking yourself whether you know this person or company?
- Doing background search
- Looking at the poor formatting of the ‘important’ email
- Considering the suspiciously named file
- Noting the fact that the file is zipped (a contract is not likely to be big enough to require zipping)
- Observing the vacancy of any official logo or footer
- Noting any major spelling errors in the subject line
This email is a clear scam attempt. If you don’t know why you received it, don’t open it, especially any attachments it contains. If this email reaches your inbox, delete it immediately.
Steph Kent
MailShark
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