In today’s electronic age, email communication has become the norm both professionally and personally. It’s quick, allows for conversations involving many people, keeps records of exchanges, and can accommodate any schedule. But with these many conveniences, come dangers as well. Users must beware of email scams. Designed to obtain your personal information, these messages often pose as legitimate emails. So, to help protect you from identity theft (and obnoxious spam!), here are five signs of a scam from Microsoft for online safety.

1. The email uses a generic greeting. A salutation like “Dear Customer” indicates that the sender does not know you, and therefore should not be trusted.
2. The message uses alarming or urgent statements requiring an immediate response. If you don’t reply within an abbreviated period, the email threatens dire consequences.
3. You are asked to provide sensitive information. This can be personal information, (like usernames, passwords, your residence, social security number, or date of birth) or financial information (like credit card or bank account numbers). Never give out identifying information through unsolicited contact.
4. Errors in spelling and grammar. These can include minor variations of an actual web address, called typosquatting or URL hijacking.
5. Discrepancies in outbound links. The message is from one address, but uses another address as the recipient. Or the message body includes a link, but the link text does not match the destination (you can check this by hovering your cursor over the link, or by right-clicking on the link and choosing Properties). These sorts of bait and switch methods

Once you’ve identified a message as spam, do not reply to it (even to unsubscribe). And remember to never open a suspicious attachment. Always practice discretion and caution online, and take steps to protect your personal information!