How Spam Emails Lead to Successful Phishing Scams

A recent study by the University of Buffalo looked at the types of emails which were more likely to result in successful phishing scams. Researchers discovered that messages which were ‘rich in information’ and which altered the reader’s mindset would achieve the sender’s goals more frequently than others.

For those who don’t know, phishing is an attempt to gain sensitive information such as online usernames, passwords, bank accounts, credit cards, etc. by acting as a trustworthy entity via email.

The study found that emails with the following features fooled the recipient about 68% of the time:

  • Recognisable graphics and logos
  • A framed, seemingly tailored message body
  • Language that inspires fear in the reader
  • Tight deadlines for email responses

The combination of all four of these qualities may lead the reader into thinking they are interacting with an actual human being. This then convinces the individual their social presence is important and relevant which leads them to reply and successfully fall victim to the phishing scam.

The spammer will use the above tactics to build up trust between themselves and the reader and persuade that individual to impart confidential information over the net. Messages which satisfy all of the above criteria will prime a person to hand over their personal details more readily than any other forms.

While installing anti spam filters in your email inboxes is an important step to combating these threats, it’s important to stay alert even with these measures in place. No one is free from risk from these dangers as even large corporations such as Yahoo and Apple or government agencies such as Israel’s Defence Network recently suffered phishing attacks. Always double check the sender and remember that most legitimate sources won’t ask for your personal details by email anyway.