I received this email this week.

It’s from a company whose name I recognize though I haven’t done business with them.  I may have even had a conversation with the sender (actually likely as he had my email address) though I don’t remember the name. It seeks to get my participation on a project where I could possibly make some money. There are enough details that are “close” that, if I wasn’t paying close attention, would have just clicked through on the attachment and, likely, infected my computer with some virus or malware. But something was off…

So, I applied the universal rules of safe email handling by answering these questions.

1. Do I know the sender?
2. If I know the sender, was I expecting something from them?
3. Do I know specifically what each link or attachment is for or leads to?
4. Do I have a security program in place capable of detecting viruses/malware in emails?

In this instance, I did the following:

1. I called the business number in the email – It was a TACO BELL!
2. I called the cell number – DISCONNECTED!
3. I deleted the email. Disaster avoided.

Bad guys can be very good at coaxing you to give up personal access or information. Don’t get caught in their phishing net. Follow the rules above and you’ll minimize the possibility of getting compromised in any way.