This document provides examples of questionable emails and tips to identify spam. It shows emails regarding bill payments, security alerts, notifications, letters, free money offers, PayPal notifications, Western Union payments, lottery winnings, easy money schemes, job offers, political misinformation, viruses, and online dating requests. The document advises to check details of who sent emails, verify facts on sites like Snopes, never provide personal information to unknown senders, and avoid responding to common scam emails regarding money transfers, lotteries, pharmacy offers, jobs, or dating.

1. Questionable Emails
Would you open these?

2. Introduction
What type of Email constitutes spam? How
can you tell if something is legitimate? In this
presentation, you will see a variety of Emails
and will learn some tricks which will help you
separate the good Emails from the
“questionable”.

3. ACTUAL E-MAILS
With some clues to help spot the spam!

4. Bill Paying Help
Use caution when opening images unless you know the
person or company. By default, your browser may
block all images. Some images, when opened, may
contain a virus or malware. For your protection,
maintain image blocking. You can “show images” if
you are certain of the Email authenticity.

5. Security Alert note
Note how
official this
looks (flag,
copyright at
bottom). But
also note that it
is not addressed
to you, or even
tells us the
account which
is infected. DO
NOT CLICK
ON ANY
LINKS!

6. Notification of payment
This e-mail tells us
the account
(Verizon), but
doesn’t show an
account number or
name. The amount
of the payment is
huge, which would
make you want to
contact them.
DON’T CLICK
ON THE LINK!

7. Urgent letter
This type of note is
very common.
They used to come
from a Nigerian
businessman, but
the scope has
widened. Do not
respond to them.
Note the bad
English grammar
and spelling. This is
a tip off!

8. Free money!
Another
variation of the
previous slide.
This is a
common scam
sent to millions
of people.
Every so often,
someone takes
the bite. Don’t
let it be you!

9. Pay Pal (sure looks official!)
It looks real, but
look again. If it
was legitimate,
would include
more personal
information
instead of just a
case number.
Do not respond
to this inquiry.

10. West Union Payment for you!
They want you to respond, so they can get more
information about you so you can “collect this
money”. Don’t respond!

11. Lottery winnings
Too good to be true? Yes, it is. Don’t
respond.

12. Really easy money
Never respond to an
unsolicited request for
personal information!

13. Need a job?
Tries to make it personal, as if it were friend to friend. No
subject line, which is a red flag. Also note the poor
English and spelling errors. Another red flag.

14. Spreading misinformation
I like a good political debate,
but let’s stick to facts. I copied
the paragraph “The per person
Medicare Insurance Premium
…And $247.00 in 2014” and
pasted into : FactCheck.org.
Not true. Here are the results:
http://www.factcheck.org/2011/0
4/premium-nonsense-on-
medicare/
Another source to check truth is
www.snopes.com
And no, it wasn’t from Blue
Cross!

15. If it is from you…beware!
This Email was
actually addressed
to our account.
This is a sure way
to tell that it is
spam (unless you
sent it to yourself).
Also note, no
subject. Another
clue it may be
spam.

16. But they said it was legitimate!
Actually, Snopes.com
says it is a hoax!
http://www.snopes.com/
computer/virus/invitatio
n.asp
Probably no viruses in
this Email, but by
forwarding to all your
friends, you are basically
giving their e-mails
away while clogging
servers. Don’t forward
these. Delete them.

17. No to the online pharmacy
Look who it is from. A
random username. And
what is it with the
paragraph below? Strange.
Don’t fall for the Canadian
pharmacy scam!

18. Just wants a date
I just wonder who would even respond to
this!

19. Additional notes
3 ways Email virus can spread:
1. Virus as an Email hoax (which clogs inboxes
and circulates email addresses)
2. Virus as an Email attachment (open it and it
may run a virus program…don’t open an
attachment before scanning for viruses)
3. Virus in the Email body (caution when
allowing images to open, and by clicking on
links in the body of the Email)

20. What did we learn?
• If it seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t true
• Click show details to see who sent it and who it was sent to
• Check facts on factcheck.org or snopes.com
• Never provide personal information to a random Email
• Do not forward mail that others have forwarded to you.
• If you sent it to yourself, probably not legit
• No to online pharmacy, Western Union, lottery winnings,
Pay Pal reminders or lost Europeans needing somewhere
to park their money
• Jobs are not solicited by sending blind notes
• Never respond to dating requests online

21. Don’t fall for scams or spread
misinformation. Be an informed
Email user! Thanks for listening!