Recognising spam emails

“No advertising or free newspapers”: if only there were such a sign for the e-mail inbox too. Instead, our virtual letterboxes are stuffed with countless spam e-mails and the important messages unfortunately get lost.

By now, the annoying spam e-mails are hardly distinguishable from those of friends and family. It can quickly happen that you fail to recognise one and click on it. That can have serious consequences. However, there are characteristics which, if you know them, make it easier for you to delete the right e-mails.

What are spam e-mails?

Spam e-mails are e-mails sent en masse and unsolicited. Often a product is advertised that promises the incredible, a miracle weapon for burning fat or even prescription medicines. The aim is to draw the recipient’s attention to the e-mail and get them to open it.

The content can vary, as there are different types of spam. The majority of spam e-mails consist of advertising, directly followed by e-mails with content aimed at adults. In third place are unwanted financial tips.

Only a small proportion of the messages are used specifically for fraud or spreading viruses. But with over 14.5 billion spam e-mails per day, that is not exactly few. Experts distinguish between different types of fraud. Depending on the type, the senders pursue a specific goal. Basically, a distinction is made between three subcategories:

Phishing

The aim of phishing e-mails is to get hold of your private data. These can be addresses, passwords or credit card numbers. The sender usually poses as a reputable company such as Amazon or PayPal.

The subject of the e-mail is often something urgent, such as an unpaid invoice and a threat of a negative credit record. To get hold of the data, the tricksters use one of two methods:

1. In the e-mail you are asked to click on a link. This link then takes you to the company’s website, but beware! Even if the site looks deceptively real, it can be fake. On the site you now have to enter your login details or credit card number to continue. With that, the goal has already been achieved: the perpetrators have your data.
2. Alternatively, the data can also be read from your computer by a virus or Trojan. This virus ends up on your computer either via the link, which was in reality a download, or via a file in the attachment.

Scams

With scam e-mails, the perpetrators are not only after your data, but also directly after your money. But how do you get people to voluntarily send their money over the internet? By promising them more money. And that is exactly what scam e-mails do: they offer recipients a seemingly safe method of getting a lot of money.

The story of the Nigerian prince has become a classic. In it, the Nigerian prince needs your help to get the millions from a foreign business deal into his bank account. As a reward, you receive 30 % of the total sum, often several million euros. But before the prince can transfer the money to you, you first have to provide your bank details and transfer money for administrative costs.

But the millions never arrive. Instead, the scammers now have your bank details and your money. There are thousands of stories based on the same principle, not just the prince. Sometimes you have won the lottery or have to help out other fictitious people, but the pattern is always the same: you send a little money and get a lot of money in return.

Hoax

Hoax messages are designed to make fun of the recipient. These e-mails spread false reports, and the topic is often arbitrary. It can become dangerous if the e-mail warns of a virus, for example, and provides instructions on how to remove it.

In In reality, however, the virus does not exist and the instructions only show you how to delete important system files or download a virus. Either way, the only thing that helps the computer afterwards is a complete reinstallation.

What should I look out for when opening an e-mail?

Even though the fraudsters are getting cleverer and spam e-mails look more and more like “real” e-mails, there are clues to the true origin of the message, some of which are more obvious than others.

Among the most obvious characteristics are definitely spelling and grammar mistakes in the message. This usually points to non-German perpetrators who have merely run the text through a translator. The salutation also reveals a lot. The companies of which you are a customer will address you by your name. So if the e-mail begins with “Dear Sir or Madam”, that is already an indication of a spam e-mail.

If you cannot explain why you are receiving an e-mail or the sender is unknown to you, you should be careful straight away. If you receive invoices from companies you do not know or for purchases you have not made, it is most likely spam.

If the e-mail emphasises the urgency of your action, that is also a sign. Often there are threats of consequences or the lure of winnings, all on the condition that you click on the link in the e-mail as quickly as possible. To be sure what is really hidden behind a link, hover the cursor over it. After a short time, the actual destination of the link should be displayed.

The best way to recognise spam is to trust your common sense. If an offer is too good to be true, then it usually is not.

How can I protect myself?

If you are sure that an e-mail is spam, it is best to delete it. But what if, despite checking, you are still not sure? Then there are a few tricks for how you can avoid potential spam e-mails.

• Google the subject line: Spam is designed to reach as many people as possible with little effort. So you are most likely not the first person to have received this message. If you enter the subject line into a search engine, you can find clues as to whether it is spam. There are also databases that collect the best-known spam.
• Do not open unknown attachments: Never open the attachment as soon as something about the e-mail seems odd to you. Also pay attention to the type of file. If the file extension is .zip/.exe/.jpeg, it is very likely a virus or spyware! Caution: look closely at the file. Sometimes these are called, for example, “Invoice.pdf.jpeg” and it can happen that the .jpeg extension is not displayed by the program.
• Do not click on any links: If you think it might be something important after all, it is better to go directly to the website yourself via the browser.
• Do not reply to the e-mail and do not try to unsubscribe from the e-mails: As soon as you interact with the e-mail, the spammers know that the e-mail address works. Then you will only receive even more spam.

Mass messages are becoming ever more sophisticated and harder to distinguish from genuine emails. With the tips given here you can sort out the majority of unwanted mails, but not all messages can be identified with one hundred percent certainty this way. As with everything on the internet, the same applies here: you can never be too careful.

For this reason we recommend the virus scanner MalwareBytes . If you are interested in virus scanners, we recommend this article.