GOOGLE has revealed seven warning signs that you’re being targeted by dangerous email scams.
If you’ve handed over certain information, it means you may already be a victim.
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Phishing is a common scam that involves tricking you into handing over private information or clicking dangerous links.
It might be to steal your money directly.
Or it could involve defrauding you or spying on you using malware.
These scam emails can be extremely convincing, but there are warning signs you must look out for.
“Google never asks you to provide personal information,” the search engine giant explained.
“If you get an email asking you for this information, it’s likely a fake email from an entity pretending to be Google.”
Google has provided a list of information that it would never ask for in an email.
That means if you see an email “from Google” containing a request for any of the seven pieces of info, you’re dealing with a scam.
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You should report the fraudulent message, delete it, and don’t reply or click any links.
The full list of information that Google said it wouldn’t ask for is as follows:
- Usernames and passwords
- Social Security numbers
- Bank account numbers
- PINs
- Credit card numbers
- Your mother’s maiden name
- Your birthday
Don’t allow your sensitive info to fall into the wrong hands – it could allow hackers to raid your bank accounts.
“If you receive a suspicious email, do not provide the sender any information, download attachments, or click any links,” Google warned.
“If the message claims to be from Google, report it.”
Importantly, if you’ve already handed over any of the above info to a “Google email,” it means you’re already a victim.
You should check for fraudulent transactions and suspicious activity on any relevant accounts.
Consider changing your passwords and alerting your bank.
Once your money is gone, it’s often very difficult to get it back.
