This is an interesting email that I received a couple of days ago; if she was my friend, she would know about my weight and will know if I need/don’t need to lose any weight.
The email has some inconsistencies that made me question its validity:
- I don’t recognize the sender.
- if this person is really my friend, why should pretend to hide?
- the .pe at the end of the email (……@…ilingbar.pe) is from a domain from Peru ( granted, the sender can be using this to hide the actual sender).
- By looking at the .ru at the end of the web address it indicates that the link points to a site in Russia (http://….szpe.ru/components/com_users/helpers/editors_lista.php?…………).
- Some improper grammar is highlighted in orange.
From: magdalena@smilingbar.pe [mailto:magdalena@smilingbar.pe]
Sent: Friday, April 28, 2017 10:10 AM
To:
Subject: A letter from your friend
You know me, but I wanna stay incognito this time, because of the contents of my email.
So, I was looking online for a long time.
Finally found this perfect website, ordered the weight loss drugs for less than I was expecting!
Shocking part is, these drugs actually work – I’ve already lost 30 pounds and I want you to do the same.
Now you understand why I preferred to stay anonymous.
Follow the link to learn more info and get a nice discount <LINK NOT ACTIVE>
As a general rule:
- If you don’t recognize the sender, don’t open or click on the link.
- If the email is from someone that you know but the email looks suspicious or too good to be true, don’t open it; confirm with your friend that he/she intended to send you the email by call or text; don’t reply to the email.
- Ignore and delete any emails that ask for your bank account information, SSN, driver’s license number, Passport number, etc.
- Don’t open any attachments from unsolicited emails, they usually contain a virus.
- Place the cursor on top of the link (Do not click) to reveal the address location where the link will take you (the link may be displayed at the lower left corner of the screen)