Email

Even if you have firewalls and virus software in place, you still need to be alert for scammers and phishing emails. We receive so many emails these days. Some are very easy to tell it has been sent from a mass email campaign, but others are far more deceptive at making you think they are legitimate. Seriously consider ANY links you are thinking about clicking and don’t respond to the wrong email.  

Practice safe email habits: 

Look for Red Flags: First off, were you expecting an email from this person or company and would it be normal practice for them to email you and ask you to use a link? 

More things to look for: 

• Consider if you know the source of the email before opening it or clicking on any links in it. Just because a friend sends you a link, it still may not be safe. Your friend’s computer could be infected with a virus, or they may not realize it is from a risky source. You still have to consider each email and if you get any Red Flags. 
• Don’t click on an attachment unless you are sure it is safe. 

You may want to subscribe to software such as McAfee. It can help protect you. Keeping the software up to date is important .

The biggest difference between spam and phishing is the intent of the sender. 

Spam is a popular method of making products visible to a large audience using bulk email lists and, very often, it targets people that have not expressed any interest in the product or company in the past. 

Phishing, however, has a criminal intent to get access to sensitive information or inflict some sort of damage on a person or organization.

The MOST dangerous online attack is called PHISHING.
What is phishing and how do you recognize it. 

Phishing is a type of email message that is from a fake email address and could contain a fake website link or a file that could install a computer virus, on your computer. Phishers meticulously create and distribute emails with legitimate-looking company logos and design styles and can even have links to websites that also look very legitimate. Phishers can also offer money or products that are not real.

They are all meant to gather your personal information or scam you out of money. Your personal information can be used for a variety of fraudulent purposes such as identity theft, financial theft, ransom, or other illegal activity. 

Recognizing these emails can sometimes be difficult, especially if you regularly converse with the company they are mimicking. It is important to be diligent and watch for Red Flags that tip you off. When there is any small doubt, delete the email. 

For example, a phishing email might ask you to update your HAY billing details because the password is about to expire. The email will ask you to click on a link taking you to a website that looks just like www.hay.net (but the address will be slightly wrong). There, you’ll be asked for your login and account details.  

Or, the email may say you have a computer problem and you need to click on or open an attachment (files may be a .exe, zipped with password to solve it). But if you click on it, you could install something damaging to your computer, or trigger your computer to send your personal information to the phisher. 

Phishing can also be in the form of an email offering money for work-at-home jobs, or asking for help with frozen bank accounts, or offering discounted trips, products or perhaps money left to you, etc. 

What to look for 

Here are some Red Flags to help you recognize a phishing email: 

• The email is asking for your personal information, or information that the company should already have. 
• The sender is not a known or trusted source.   
• The logos do not look right or there is bad spelling and incorrect grammar. 
• There is a sense of urgency. 
• The email promises large sums of money if you invest a small amount to help collect it. 
• The email may be related to work-at-home offers, business opportunities, make-money-fast schemes, credit offers and chain letter schemes. 

How to protect yourself 

Be realistic; if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
If you think the email information could be real, LOGIN through your normal process, NOT by clicking links in any email. 

• Do not respond to requests for personal information, such as your bank account number, in an email. 
• Be wary of alarmist, seemingly urgent messages; slightly altered web or email addresses; and emails with spelling and grammar mistakes. 
• Look closely at the links – hover over ANY link to ensure it is a valid website. Do not forward virus warnings that come with “send this to everyone you know” requests, even if they appear to come from a credible source. These messages are hoaxes, and if they include any links or attachments, they can be dangerous to your and your friends’ computers. 
• Be aware of the communication policies of the companies you deal with and what types of messages they will send.  

Hay Communications will NEVER: 

• Request personal information, such as passwords, PINs, banking or credit card information (unless we are responding to an initial telephone inquiry that YOU MADE.). We will inform you that we are sending an email you need to respond to such as register for Xstream TV.
• We will NEVER include attachments like executable (.exe) files, password-protected zip files or ISO files. 

If we identify that your account has been compromised, we may recommend that you reset your password. Follow good password practices to protect yourself. 

Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

Canadians can help combat fraud by learning about it and always reporting it. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) and law enforcement are asking that anyone who has been targeted by a scam or fraud to report it to the CAFC or toll-free at 1-888-495-8501. Victims must also report to their local police, who are better positioned to investigate. 

Report any fraud attempt to:
https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/report-signalez-eng.htm 

Spam and “junk email” are unsolicited and unwanted emails for services and products usually sent out to bulk email lists. These sales pitches may be related to anything, including health products, adult websites, software, clothing, financial services and many other things. The products and services may be legitimate, or may be fraudulent. OR, spam emails could also be trying to get personal information from you in a specific type of fraud called “phishing.” 

Junk email is different from spam. Junk emails are from legitimate organizations but its topic may not be of interest to you. If you don’t want to hear about every sale, every single day, from that store you shopped at one time, use the unsubscribe link in the email. By law in Canada, all companies sending commercial electronic messages should set up an unsubscribe mechanism, which is usually a link found at the bottom of the message. 

Marking a junk email as spam will usually not help as spam filters can distinguish emails from legitimate companies and will not permanently block them. 

How to protect yourself 

• Do not feel obligated to give out your email address. 
• Share your email address only with companies and organizations you trust to keep it private, and avoid posting your email address on personal websites, website forums or newsgroups. 
• Avoid posting your email address online. If you need to do so, distort your email address so spam engines cannot pick it up. For example, type “john dot doe at hay dot net” instead of “john.doe@hay.net”. 
• Ensure you have a spam filter for your email and that it is activated and updated. 
• For any email you receive that you feel is spam, either mark it as spam or move it to the spam folder. 
• Do not respond to SPAM and do not use the unsubscribe button as it can validate the email address for spammers. 
• Do not use your work email for any non-work related matters. 
• If signing up to forums, offers or less important services, use an alternative (temporary) email address from a free service such as Hotmail or Gmail. 

Hay Communications employs rigorous spam filters for its email services, however you must protect yourself by recognizing spam, junkmail and phishing emails. 

Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) is a federal law designed to give Canadians more control over the commercial electronic messages (CEMs) they receive. 

A commercial electronic message is any message sent to an electronic address that has as its purpose, or one of its purposes, the encouragement of participation in a commercial activity, including an offer to purchase a product or service. 

A commercial electronic message (CEM) includes communication sent by email, text message, Instant messenger or on social media. 

How Hay follows CASL 

To ensure that Hay is compliant with CSAL, the following 3 requirements are incorporated into our current practices: Obtain customer consent, clearly identify the sender and provide easy-to-use unsubscribe options. 

• Implied Consent: (When the sender has an existing business relationship with the person to whom the message is sent.) Communications are only sent to customers in our billing system and those who have not unsubscribed from our marketing emails.  
• Clear identification on our marketing material. 
• Easy to use unsubscribe method provided at the bottom of marketing material or the customer can call the office to be unsubscribed. 

To learn more 

Please visit Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation website to learn more about this Act and how to report spam or submit information about other electronic threats. Report spam to: spam@fightspam.gc.ca