As the holiday season approaches, beware of phishing scams

In the past week, I’ve received more phishing scams in my email than I care to count.

Today alone, I received four. It’s troublesome to see so many, particularly because people are vulnerable to “special offers” during this time of year, are at home on lockdown, and may be novices at online media.

Below are two phishing scam samples (just images, poor grammar, wrong logo, etc.):

I’ve attached the content (above) from two of the emails to show what phishing scams look like. To make sure you’re safe, look at some key items before you click:

1. Incorrect or suspicious email address: For example, my emails came from “my email address on behalf of shoppersmartdrug” and “my email address on behalf of amazon@amazon.ca.” The actual businesses wouldn’t use these names.
2. Content: Beware of an email with only a blurry image with no other text outside of the image text.
3. Poor communication: Be on the lookout for poor grammar and typographical errors, which is a sign the email isn’t legit.
4. Logos: Logos are dead giveaways – if they’re not official company logos, or they don’t match the ones on the legitimate corporate website, it’s a sign that the email came from somewhere else.
   If you really want the offer, it’s best to contact the company directly. Don’t click on the email. Instead, open up a web browser to find the contact information, and ask if this offer is legitimate.

Stay safe this holiday season!