Protect Yourself from Email Scams: A Step-by-Step Guide
With the rise of email scams, it's become increasingly important to know how to protect yourself from becoming a victim. If you've fallen prey to an email scam, act quickly to minimize damage and prevent further harm.
You may have unknowingly put your personal data at risk by using the same email address across multiple online platforms. This can make it easy for scammers to gain access to sensitive information, including login credentials, financial details, and more. In this article, we'll walk you through what to do if a scammer has hijacked your email account and provide tips on how to protect yourself from future attacks.
A common tactic used by scammers is to search for publicly available personal data associated with your email address, such as old social media accounts, data broker sites, or breached account data on the dark web. This information can be used to open new accounts in your name, find your passwords on the dark web, or gain access to your financial or shopping accounts to commit fraud.
Scenario 1: Your Email Account Has Been Hijacked
If you suspect a stranger is in your inbox, change your password immediately if you can still log into the account. If the attacker changed your password, use the email provider's official account recovery page to verify your identity and regain control of your account.
Once you have control of the account again, enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) and ensure you're not using the same password for other online accounts. Consider using a password manager to generate MFA tokens, create strong passwords, and fill them in on websites automatically.
Scenario 2: Someone Is Using Your Email Address to Impersonate You
If your email account is secure, but someone has created a profile or account on another platform and is impersonating you using your name or photos, do not engage with the scammer. Instead, use the platform's official communication channels (usually email or a contact form) to report the account for impersonation.
Provide screenshots and links to the impersonation attempts to back up your claims, and inform your friends and followers about the impersonation attempts. Warn them to be wary of messages or links sent from unofficial accounts attributed to you.
Protecting Your Digital Footprint
Once your data makes it to the dark web, it's not clawed back. The best bet is to minimize damage by changing how you create and maintain online accounts. Consider using fake information on web forms and creating fake email addresses to open new accounts.
A tried-and-true method is to obscure your digital footprint by using fake information on web forms and creating fake email addresses to open new accounts. You can also pay for a personal data removal service that will send requests to data brokers on your behalf or take the time to make the requests yourself.
Using Email Aliases to Stay Anonymous
It's incredibly easy to create new, unique email addresses using an email alias generator. These services provide fake email addresses to use when logging into accounts, and you can forward emails to your real account.
If you use Apple devices, visit the iCloud settings menu on your device to sign up for Hide My Email and start generating fake email addresses. Your password manager may also be able to create fake email addresses for you.
Closing or Securing Old Email Accounts
If you have old email accounts with short, easy-to-guess passwords or without MFA in place, they can become a target for scammers. Consider deleting these accounts and using the data you've downloaded to your computer or another storage device.
Alternatively, delete your old photos, videos, chats, and messages in inactive email accounts. Most email providers allow users to create downloadable backups of their data or important conversations within the settings menu.
Locking Down Your Digital Life
When you're ready to obfuscate the rest of your online identity, check out our guide to completely disappearing on the internet. If that sounds too much privacy right now, shore up your family's defenses online with our cybersecurity checklist.
Remember, protecting yourself from email scams requires a proactive approach. By following these steps and staying vigilant, you can minimize damage and prevent further harm. Stay safe online!