In a 2015 survey conducted by Adobe Systems, it was found that US workers, spent 6.3 hours on average checking emails daily (with a 50/50 split between personal and professional messages).
How many emails do we receive each day where the average time spent reading, organizing, and responding to them is six hours? According to the Adobe survey, not only do people check their email during work, but before and after as well! Perhaps the real reason why so many of us are addicted to smartphones isn’t because they’re fun and helpful. Maybe it’s because we’re constantly waiting for an email to come through that will change our life.
Hypothetically speaking, if we’re getting enough email to fill up six hours each day, it’s safe to assume that not every sender is going to be someone we know. They could come from a whole range of sources:
- Friends and family
- Professional contacts
- Potential job opportunities
- RSS feeds
- News outlets
- Social media notifications
- Marketers
- Insurance companies
- Calendar reminders
And, potentially: internet scammers.
The compulsion to check for new messages is no laughing matter. You see that number ticker change in your browser window or on your phone’s screen, and you’ve just got to click it. To find out who it’s from. To read it, resolve it, and get it out of your inbox. But what do you do when it’s from someone you don’t know, but who promises a lot of money in exchange for a little something on your end?
You probably know about the Nigerian Prince — the poor deposed man who just needs your help getting to his money. But there are lots of similar scams that are harder to spot. Perhaps the soulmate you met online needs financial assistance in order to meet you. Or that nice company that is trying to save the world just needs a little financial help.
The damsel in distress doesn’t always come in the form of a prince, but he, she, or they will almost always come for you through email. When they do, will you fall for their tricks or will you be able to sniff out the scam before it’s too late?
Find out everything you need to know about the oldest internet scam in the following infographic published on WhoIsHostingThis.com:
