by Adam Levine

If you work at a bank or financial institution, you’re at special risk of getting targeted in a phishing scam. 

1. I am Wandering in the Desert With Nary a Farthing to My Name (aka The Stranded Traveler Scam)

With summer travel season upon us, watch for emails from “friends” claiming they were robbed while traveling in Europe or Asia, and need money immediately. The FBI says this lure regularly costs victims thousands of dollars apiece.

Can an Alias Protect You Online?

Tip: Before sending money, verify that your friend is actually in trouble through another form of communication.

2. Come Fly With Me (aka Travel Deals Too Good to Be True)

Another hot scam is phishing emails advertising amazing travel deals. Years ago the Better Business Bureau found consumers lose $10 billion annually to travel scams like this. Some emails even refer to free tickets from “United Airways,” which doesn’t exist.

3. Render Unto Caesar That Which Is Caesar’s (aka Urgent Messages From a Bank or Government Agency)

In one recent phishing attack, scammers pretending to uphold the “strict security standards” of HSBC bank asked recipients to report scam emails to the bank’s website. But the link itself contained dangerous malware. Other thieves intimidate victims by impersonating top FBI officials or bring unwelcome greetings from the IRS announcing that you owe them money and need to pay up ASAP. Remember: Financial institutions and government agencies never communicate sensitive information by email.

4. When It Absolutely, Positively Had to Be Here by Now (aka the ‘Missed Delivery’ Scam)

Scammers know we hate to miss packages. In one common scam, they send phishing messages that appear to be from UPS or FedEx notifying us that a package could not be delivered. Among the top 20 keywords used in phishing, 14 had to do with shipping, according to the Internet Crime Complaint Center.

5. Can You Hear Me Now? (aka the Cellular Carrier Email Scam)

Scammers send emails directing people to a clone website made to look exactly like their cellular carrier’s real website. They are asked to enter their passwords and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers, and click for discounts, credits or prizes worth up to $500. Using the data, thieves hijack the victim’s account.

6. Hey Buddy Can You Spare a Dime? (aka the Bank Employee Phishing Scam)

If you work at a bank or financial institution, you’re at special risk of getting targeted in a phishing scam. Scammers use insider bank lingo and stolen employee login credentials to convince employees to initiate wire transfers overseas worth up to $900,000, the FBI finds.

7. They’re Baaaaack! (aka The Nigerian Princes Are Back and Better Than Ever Scams)

Nigerian scammers are more sophisticated than ever. In addition to old lures including international lotteries, and get-rich schemes helping deposed dictators transfer secret caches of cash out of their Swiss bank accounts, they’ve started “buying” items on eBay and sending fake PayPal emails confirming the purchases.

8. I Can Make You Rich From Your Couch (aka Work-at-Home Scams)

Harvesting contacts through resume websites, schemers lure victims by convincing them to download various software programs for their new “jobs,” cash checks in return for a transaction fee, or post their credit card info online.

9. Danger, Will Robinson! (aka the Hit Man Scam)

It sounds outlandish, but scammers regularly send emails to warn people that the only way to prevent being assassinated is to buy a security alarm connected to “Agent Bauer” of the “International Intelligence Bureau.”

10. We Can Save You Thousands on Your Mortgage! (aka the Elusive Loan Modification Scam)

Phishing emails offer homeowners lower interest rates and payments, advising their marks to stop all communication with their lenders, in return for up-front fees. This is the perfect recipe for being fleeced while you lose your home. You pay, they flee — you circle the drain.

11. You Just Call Out My Name and You Know Wherever I Am I’ll Come Running (aka the Emails From ‘Old Friends’ Scam)

California Polytechnic University is warning students to be on the lookout for emails from “old friends” that may actually come from scammers who have hacked old email accounts. Dormant email accounts are rarely checked and ripe for attack.

12. Hey Kid, Have I Got a Deal for You! (aka the Hot Investment Tip Scam)

The latest iteration of this scam involves hackers learning which stocks people own, and sending phishing emails advising victims to sell underperforming stocks. The associated “tax payments” go to the thieves.

13. Help me Rhonda, Help, Help me Rhonda (aka the Confirm This Nonexistent Transaction Scam)

Scammers send emails asking victims to confirm purchases they never made. One recent iteration involves fake tickets on American Airlines.

14. Where Have You Been All My Life? (aka the Russian Lonely Girl Scam)

It’s the email you have been waiting for your whole life. A beautiful Eastern European woman with whom you have been exchanging pleasantries on a social networking site is ready to meet you. You may have already seen comely pictures and are ready to pick her up at the airport when she gets to the U.S. Only one problem – she needs a ticket and will come as soon as you give her your credit card information, or wire some funds from your local Western Union.

Tip: Never send money to anyone you have never met or actually spoken with.

The days of the simple phishing scam are gone. Even the fake Nigerian prince has grown up, learned better English, and often serves as an intermediary on other, bigger scams. As phishing scams develop, it’s more important than ever to remain alert to potentially dangerous emails. Take a moment to consider each email in your inbox, and determine if it sounds legitimate. If not, you could become some scammer’s next big catch.

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