As a parent, there’s always something to keep on top of. From the household bills to cleaning the home, it often feels like you’ve got an endless list of priorities that resets itself each time.
However, one of the priorities not to forget about is your household emails. Whether you have a family inbox or you manage multiple ones, it’s important to keep on top of it so that it remains clean and safe.
In this guide, we’ll look at the common threats that target busy parents over email and how to handle suspicious emails so you don’t fall victim to any scams.
Common threats that target busy parents
So what common threats are present that target busy parents when they’re navigating through their emails?
Phishing scams
Attackers will often impersonate trusted entities like government agencies, banks, or well-known companies that trick parents into revealing sensitive information.
It’s an email that creates a sense of urgency, playing on a parent’s busy life to bypass critical thinking or that gut feeling that something doesn’t look right.
False invoices
Scammers will send emails with legitimate invoices for higher-priced items that the parent has never purchased.
The email will include a link to dispute the charge, and when clicked, it can lead to a phishing scam or malware attack.
Malware and ransomware
Emails can sometimes contain malware and ransomware that, when opened or clicked on, infect the device with viruses and ransomware.
Ransomware can encrypt the victim’s files and then demand payment for release.
Child impersonations
A common tactic that’s used is where an unknown email or phone number will claim to be the child, stating that they’re in trouble or their phone has been lost, broken, or stolen. They’ll then ask for money as an emergency once the parent engages with the scammer.
Prize won scam
Emails that claim the recipient has won a large prize but then needs to provide personal information to claim it.
Missed delivery notices
Missed delivery notices are common for busy parents, so receiving an email that informs them of a missed parcel, which offers a link to reschedule, is something that would typically be clicked on. Clicking the link can lead to a malicious site that’s designed to steal information.
The right way to handle suspicious emails
To handle suspicious emails in the right manner, there are a number of initial steps that you can take.
- Verify identity
If the email or message is coming from an unknown email address, it’s always best to contact the person directly to see if they’re the ones who actually sent the correspondence. This is the easiest and safest way to check whether or not you’re being presented with a scam.
For example, with a child impersonator, calling or finding your child in person will help to clarify if it is them or not.
- Don’t click any links or attachments
Avoid clicking any links or opening attachments, as these should always be considered suspicious.
Instead, it’s best to navigate to the official website and go through the steps to get to the webpage from there. This is especially important when you’re logging in to your account. It’s always best to do it from your browser rather than clicking a link in an email.
- Look for red flags
Some common red flags will indicate a scammer email is one that contains poor grammar, has amateur-looking designs and layouts, or is pushy and pressuring you.
- Use security softwareÂ
Security software is useful to ensure all your devices are protected and have up-to-date antivirus software, as well as strong and unique passwords.
It’s also worthwhile to use various software that can help keep your inbox clean and safe from spam emails.
Easy routines that keep everyone protected
It’s all about easy routines that help keep you, as a parent, protected from the harmful scammers that are out there. They seek out vulnerabilities, which are important to tighten and prevent from being present.
With that being said, here are some easy routines that keep everyone protected.
- Use strong and unique passwords
Using strong and unique passwords is a good way to protect every account. Consider using a reputable password manager to help generate passwords that are unique and individual to all of your accounts but that you don’t need to remember.
- Enable multi-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication is definitely something you want to enable where possible as it adds an extra layer od protection to your accounts. Some email clients provide this but it’s worth adding it to anything and every account that offers this layer of security.
- Keep software updated
Software should always be kept up to date to prevent any vulnerabilities within these systems and software that could be exploited by hackers. Enable automatic updates on your email apps and any operating systems you use on your devices.
Keeping software up to date in general is important because any that aren’t updated regularly will leave your devices at risk of hackers.
It’s worth making sure you have antivirus software installed on all of your devices too.
- Use secure connections
Secure connections are important to have in order to keep your emails and data secure. Avoid using any public Wi-Fi when it comes to sensitive emails. If you have to, you should be using a VPN to encrypt your connection.
You’ll also want to make sure your own home network is secure by checking that your antiware software and internet provider to see if there’s protected added to your own home network.
- Utilize spam filters and encryptionÂ
Finally, take a look at your email provider’s built-in spam filter to make sure it’s doing all the heavy lifting so that you don’t have to. Consider using end-to-end encryption, especially when it comes to highly sensitive information.
As a modern parent, these are the tips that are going to help protect you when your attention might not be on what’s coming into your inbox on a daily basis. Make use of tips to ensure your household inbox is kept clean and safe.
