1 Fish, 2 Fish... Scam Phish?

 
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Something’s fishy, and it’s not your lunch…

As business owners, we get bombarded with notifications 24/7. Whether you just got a notification about your sister’s brother-in-law’s daughter’s friend’s Cookie Bake Sale or a scary warning that your website domain is about to expire, the latter may be designed to confuse you into a panicked click-login-enter billing info before your better judgement steps in.

Quick tips on how to protect against the spammy “DOMAIN EXPIRING” emails…

You’ve probably heard some of this before but it’s good to be reminded since scams are becoming more common.

  1. Be Skeptical! - Nope, your web domain name is not about to expire.

    • Be skeptical of anything you weren’t expecting.

    • Never download anything you from an unknown source.

    • Slow down and read important account alerts carefully.

    • Don’t give personal info to customer service representatives unless you’re certain who you’re talking to.

  2. Double check the URL - A capitol “i” looks the same as a lower case “L” - Google v. GoogIe (see, you can’t tell!)

    • If you get an account alert in your email, it’s always check the website and get real information directly from the source.

    • Yes, emails from legit sites can be spoofed. Even without these tricks, it’s easy to react and click on “googie” dot-com without checking things out.

  3. Use Good Passwords - “CharlesBarkley123” is a touching homage to your pooch, but it’s not secure.

    • Even very large companies are regularly having their passwords stolen.

    • If you used the same password for Facebook, LinkedIn, or Yahoo, 9 times out of 10 it’s been stolen and re-tried across your accounts at different sites.

    • Use a unique password and save it with a site like 1Password or LastPass.

      BONUS: You can sync these sites with your phone and other devices so you always have them on you!

  4. Protect Your Email - Your email is like a janitor’s keychain...to your whole life.

    • Most of your account passwords can be changed by anyone with access to your email.

    • To protect you, your employees, and other contacts, make your email login unique and secure.

When in doubt, ask people you trust.

If you’ve hired us to build your website, we can tell you exactly when you need to renew.

Until then, be well. And don’t heat up your fish in the break room microwave.

 
 
Behind the ScenesJessica CrumComment