Spot the Scam: A Real-World Guide to Staying Safe Online

Email and phone scams are becoming more convincing every year. With AI-generated emails, caller ID spoofing and fake SMS messages, even experienced computer users can be caught off guard. Every day, we talk to clients who have been targeted by increasingly clever online scams. While banks and big corporations offer plenty of standard advice, we want to share the practical, real-world warning signs we see most often—and how you can protect yourself.

Common warning signs of a scam

• Unexpected urgency
• Requests for passwords or MFA codes
• Threats of account suspension
• Payment by gift cards or cryptocurrency
• Links that don't match the official website
• Unexpected attachments

Email Scams:

1. The Subject line doesn’t look like plain text or has strange spacing. This is a classic scam email technique to get around spam filters.
2. Look at the email address the email is being sent from. If the email says it's from your bank, antivirus company, or Microsoft—for example, the email says it's from Norton but the email address is skjhs@outlook.com—this email address is an easy giveaway.
3. Does the email address you by name? If it doesn’t use your name (says “loyal customer” etc.) or has the start of your email address as the name, this is another common format for scammers.
4. Logos don’t look right: Sometimes scammers make very convincing emails, but a lot still have poorly done logos.

If you aren’t sure, then check with the provider/bank if possible, or give us a call or forward the email to check with us.

Phone Call Scams:

1. Asking you to confirm details without them giving you any information that shows they know who you are to start with (beyond a name).
2. Pressure: These calls often start in a friendly manner, but they end up using high-pressure tactics so you don’t have time to think. If you find yourself flustered in a conversation, legitimate callers will allow you to call them back.
3. Don’t allow remote access to your computer. Scam callers will sound like they are trying to help you out, often saying things like “if we act now we can catch them in the act.” This is a ruse to get onto your computer. Make sure you have verified anyone who wants access to your computer by calling the listed number on the organisation's website (and make sure you are on the correct website).

If you feel unsure, hang up the call and check that the call-back number is a genuine number for the service they say they are from.

Pop-ups/alerts on the computer:

1. If it takes over the screen and starts talking to you, it is not a legitimate alert. This is a common scam where they have hijacked an internet ad. This isn’t your computer being compromised. You can restart the computer and keep going in most cases.
2. Don’t call the number listed to get help. You won’t get help that way. If you want to check, look up the number for the company shown and ask them about it.c

Criminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence to write convincing emails, clone voices and impersonate trusted organisations. Even messages with perfect grammar and professional branding can be fraudulent, so always verify requests independently. Falling for a scam happend to all sorts of people. You don't need to feel stupid.

Contact us:

If you think you have been compromised by a scam, give Central Coast Mobile Computer Services a call and we can assess your computer and remove any remote software that may be left behind by the scammers to regain access to your computer. If you think they have had access to your passwords then change those passwords. If you looked at you internet banking in this time then let the bank know straight away.