Is this puppy REALLY from the IRS… that’s what his credentials say.

The Dundee Internet Mailing list servers work exclusively with email.  You can personalize your messages by including the list members name along with their email address and use other profile information as needed but the mail is delivered using an email address.

Email addresses are normally the basis for online communication, used by almost everyone, everywhere. They are prolific by nature but also disposable, forgotten and changed, inviting fraud and can be vulnerable to attack by unscrupulous individuals.

To keep your list of addresses safe Dundee Internet Services, Inc., takes all the maximum measures we can to assure the security of each and every email address in each and every list we host on our servers.  Nevertheless email addresses travel outside the realm of our servers as email is a tool that your customers, including yourself probably use every day.

Email therefore is indispensable, especially to the digital marketer. This type of marketing has a positive impact on your business when you have a clean list with opted-in list members; becoming the core of your marketing plans and a primary sources of revenue for your company. However this type of marketing as with so many email based programs is subject to email fraud, which when successful may have a negative impact on your business.

Depending on how the fraud is perpetuated email fraud can destroy your email marketing programs, with lies and pretense resulting in loss customers as they lose trust in your company, service or product.

Email fraud can be caused by:

1. Spoofing
2. Phishing
3. SPAM

Spoof email has the appearance of coming from someone when in fact the addresses are forged and the email is actually coming from someone else.  It only takes a little know how to discover As-Seen-on-ABC@beatmake.win is sent from someone in the Czech Republic and not ABC television.  Spoofed email comes in with bad intentions; from illegitimate marketers to virus borne attachments using a disguised sending identity to get into an inbox.

Customers who receive spoofed email, if they believe it’s from (for example) a company they do business with, will normally trust the message, open it and click on the embedded links and maybe download a virus. – There goes their trust in future emails from that company.

And if your company address is compromised and used to Spoof emails, you might witness an influx of bounce back emails coupled with a low percentage of open rates. Maybe your email address will not be used to spread a virus, but instead, used to send SPAM in your name, resulting in customer unsubscribes.

Phishing:  An effort to procure sensitive data and credentials for malicious reasons.  Such data can include passwords, bank account number, credit card logins, social security numbers and so forth.

Phishing is usually accomplished by spoofing an email from a source that would need or have access to sensitive information. These type of emails can be crafted in such a way that there’s little or no doubt it’s really from your bank, IRS or favorite retail store.

• The Phisher will usually spoof the From Field by changing the display name to one they want you to believe (IRSrefund) and use a legitimate company domain (@irs.gov)
• The Subject may be enticing.  “Mr.Jones we owe you a back tax refund”
• The letter may include legitimate looking logos.
• The body of the letter may include a links to a landing page that will ask you to verify your information:  social security number, date of birth, mailing address.
• There may also be attachments which contain malicious content.

SPAM as we all know is a relative of the junk mail your parents received in the home mail box, however modern day spam is more widespread, costly, time consuming and can be computer deadly (Affect your computer with a bad virus).

Some SPAM are attempts at Phishing, others lead the recipient to websites containing malicious software, some have attachments with viruses and others just want to sell you another hose.

How do SPAMMERS get email addresses?

• They buy them
• Trade lists with other SPAMMERS
• Harvest them from websites that use email addresses for example in conversations on public forums
• Capture email addresses with the promise of free services or other items

Online communication with email is great.  It is especially great for digital marketers and the bottom line. Once that email communication has been compromised and a customer perceives they can no longer trust the origin of that communication the digital marketer loses that communication: The email subscriber

Coupled with the lost subscriber comes lost revenue. And in some cases will cause damage on intellectual properly by tarnishing the reputation of the company and its brand reputation.
The best way to avoid the potential of email fraud: use email authentication programs like SPF, DKIM and DMARC along with customer education. Take time to write to your customer list and tell them you will never ask for (passwords, addresses, social security numbers and so on).

If you have more questions feel free to contact a Mail specialist at Dundee Internet.

- See more at: http://mailing-list-services.com/eml/is-this-puppy-from-from-the-irs-thats-what-his-credentials-say/#sthash.VgrMMp7X.dpuf