Think before you click
Most break-ins start with one email. Learn the five signs.
Guide · Scams and email
QR code and text message scams
Phones are now the favorite target, because small screens hide the warning signs.
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Text message scams
- "Your package couldn't be delivered."
- "Unusual activity on your account. Reply YES or NO."
- "You have an unpaid toll."
- "Hi, is this Sam? Wrong number..." (the start of a long con)
- "It's your boss, I'm in a meeting, can you help me quickly?"
- Don't tap links in texts you didn't expect.
- Don't reply, not even STOP.
- Check in the company's own app or website.
- Report it as junk, then delete it.
QR code scams
A QR code is just a link you can't read. Scammers stick fake codes over real ones on parking meters, restaurant tables and flyers, and put them in emails because filters can't read them as easily.
- Look at the address your camera shows before you open it.
- Check for a sticker on top of a printed code.
- Never scan a QR code in an email that asks you to sign in, fix your account or pay.
- Pay for parking and tolls in the official app, not through a code on a sign.
- Don't sign in or enter card details on a page you reached by QR code.
Clicked or paid something?
Call your bank if you entered card details, then tell your IT support if it was a work phone or work account.
Scams and email
More printables like this
Money changes need a phone call
Email can be faked, even from a real account. These rules stop the most expensive scam in business.
Holiday scams are here
Scammers get busy when we do. Watch for these from November to January.
Questions about anything in here?
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