The Ups and Downs of Email in the News

Your email is the hub to your online use, it is what you use to sign up for other accounts, contact people and send important information. Since it holds so much valuable information you want to make sure that it is always protected and you are aware of the risks. It has been a popular topic in the news lately for both good and bad reasons! So we at Kids Shield want to bring you some of the email news we have found most interesting. 

911, but Email!

Before we discuss the scary side of email here is some interesting news from a few days ago. According to CBC early in the morning on friday Rogers internet and phone network went down and lasted quite a while. One of the services this outage affected was 911 which is essential to most everyone. The Thunder Bay police came up with the idea to create a temporary email address that people could contact in an emergency since the phone lines were down. The police force used email in an innovative and unique way to solve a big problem. Not all email news is scary!

SaskPower Warns Customers

Now on the other side of the news spectrum SaskPower warns Canadians of an email phishing scam using their name and logo to obtain personal information. Global news reported that people are receiving emails saying that their Sasktel account had an issue with processing your last bill and you must enter your credit information before you will have access to your services. When you click the link in the email it leads you to a sign up page that looks real but is just trying to obtain your personal information such as your credit card. Always check the address that sent the message to ensure if you recognize it. Never click links, go to the website on your own and sign in normally.  Always slow down, analyze and carefully think before taking any actions from emails!

Harder to Detect Phishing Emails

Along the same lines according to the Economic Times, email scams are becoming more and more difficult to detect and even cyber security experts are falling for them. Scammers are now tracking your online use and accounts to gain information about you before sending emails so you believe the messages more. The clues they are looking for can be your location, your interests and more. Just recently in my own life I commented on my favorite celebrities' instagram and soon received an email claiming to be a member of their team and all I had to do was click a link to be in contact with them. The scammer found a topic that would personally excite me and invoke an emotional response. But since I keep up with Kids Shield I knew it wasn’t real. Make sure to limit what you post online, where and who can view it. 

Email is a crucial part of online use, and we would all be a mess without it. It can help you to keep in contact with people far away, send documents electronically and many more things.But being prepared for the dangers that a spam or phishing email may bring by being aware! You can also check out Kids Shield other blogs (Like this one on how to secure your email account!). Also follow our social platforms to never miss out on valuable information and resources. While you’re at it, sign up for our email list to be notified when new blogs drop!