Have you received an email for a debt or business you have never heard of? There are numerous fake debt collection emails going round that are purporting to be legitimate. It’s important to know what to look for in a phishing email to make sure you don’t get taken in.
There is generally a sense of urgency to emails from fake debt collectors to try and make you rush your response. The best approach with any email you’re unsure of is to take your time, think rationally and don’t give away any important details. Here are our top tips to spotting scam debt collection emails.
Check the sender’s email address
The first thing to do if you think it’s a phishing email is to verify the email address. Often fake debt collectors will pretend to be from a legitimate debt collection company, but they have to use a different email address. For instance, if you ever receive an email from CEA Limited it will come from an @cealimited.co.uk address. The scammers will typically use a similar email address, but if it’s not from the correct company domain then don’t respond to it or click on any website links.
Don’t open any links
Phishing emails are designed for the scammers to find out personal information about yourself, such as credit card details, or to hack into your system. They can use very subtle tricks to get you to provide such details.
If there are any links in the email text then don’t click on them, however valid they might seem at first sight. They might look legitimate, but can redirect you to a fake page where you are asked to share account details or it could download malware to your system. A simple way to preview the link is to hover over it with your mouse. Usually at the bottom left of your screen you should see the full URL and you can then check this against the company information in the email. Make sure you don’t accidentally click on the link.
Lack of information
If you receive an email from a genuine debt collector there will be plenty of information about the debt it is concerning. For instance, information on who the debt is with, what it is for and a copy of the original invoice. They will also provide ways for you to get in touch with them directly, including a landline phone number. Phishing emails typically withhold the majority of the details, so that you have to contact them to find out more.
Research the company
To check on the legitimacy of fake debt collection emails do some research on the company it is pretending to be from. Check if the company has a website that matches the email address used and if they work in the industry. A genuine debt recovery company would always give you enough details about the debt for you to validate it.
Don’t be pushed into rushing
The most important thing with a potential scam debt collection email is to not rush into answering it. The main aim of a scam is to get the recipient to react quickly, before they’ve had the time to think about it. Fake debt collectors will generate a sense of urgency and try to manipulate you into providing the information they want.
Where an email is from a real debt collection company they won’t resort to such measures and won’t use threatening language. Try and remain patient and take the time to think logically about the situation. If there’s no information on the debt, it’s probably not genuine. Simply delete it and move on with the next task.
Be wary of spelling and grammatical errors
Phishing emails can often look professional and genuine when you first see them. However, if you take a closer look, there are very obvious mistakes. For example, there are likely to be spelling errors or the email doesn’t read correctly. This could be because they’ve been written hastily or translated using Google. Where the debt collection email is genuine it will look and read like it has been sent from a professional company.
Fake debt collection emails are designed to prey on vulnerable people who are worried about getting into debt. They get you to act quickly and in haste, so that you’re not thinking about what information you’re providing them with. If something doesn’t appear correct, then it is probably a scam.