spoofing means to deceive, deceive, or deceive. In the IT world, phishing is a tactic hackers and cybercriminals use to trick computer users into divulging sensitive information like passwords, usernames, or even credit card numbers. the most common method of spoofing someone is through email. In a spoofed email, the sender impersonates a person, organization, or business.
Most people know what spam or phishing email looks like because we constantly hear or read about new email attacks. however, attackers are getting smart and changing the way they send spam. attackers, phishers, and spammers are spoofing your email address.
There’s a chance a spam email could end up in your inbox and look like you sent it!
“of”: identity theft
With “from: spoof” emails, spammers can hide the origin of the email and make it look like you sent it. from: spoofing means spammers “spoof” the “from:” address in an email to make it look like it came from you. in fact, the return email address is your email address.
With from: spoofing, the spammer is spoofing your email address in an attempt to bypass spam filters and go directly to your inbox.
why are they cheating on you?
If you see your email address in the “from:” field of any email you haven’t sent, don’t be alarmed.
There are a few reasons why your email is being spoofed:
- Spammers are trying to spam you directly and they know you can’t block your own email address.
- The spammer could be trying to reach you. someone else. If the spammer tried to send an email to someone else, you may see a bounce message. if the email bounced, that means the email was marked as spam and was rejected. since the email appears to be yours, you will receive the bounced message in your inbox.
Is your account compromised?
If the spammer claims they hacked into your account and is using the fake email as evidence, they are lying. your account has not been hacked and your emails are not compromised. it’s just another one of their tactics to scare and trick you. spammers don’t need to access your account to create a spoofed email, so don’t worry.
To clarify, the spammer used your email address, not your email account. As stated above, your email account is secure! If you were able to log in and see your email inbox, your account is safe and hasn’t been touched by the spammer. the spammer is just using your email address as a ploy to get your attention or that of your employees.
Are you wondering how spammers got your email address in the first place? they could have gotten your email from a devious program or piece of software that looks up email addresses on the internet… or they could have gotten it from your company website. There are numerous ways a spammer can get your address, and unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do to stop them.
talk
When it comes to emails or anything on the internet, you can’t always believe what you read. If you see something suspicious, say so! Notify your employees to closely scrutinize all email they receive, especially new emails from you. Have a system in place to alert everyone in the company to any spoofed emails or phishing scams, word of mouth travels fast and by speaking up you can avoid any potential threats to your business.
Most email service providers will mark suspicious emails as spam. If you’re one of our Office 365 customers, there will be a banner at the top of any suspicious email that says: “This sender failed our fraud detection checks and may not be who they appear to be.”
If you have any questions, are interested in learning more about office 365, or are concerned about your security, contact us today!