newYou can listen to Fox’s news articles!
Online scams thrive with urgency and fear towards victims. If you’ve ever been a victim of fraud, you’ll know that bad actors often try to get you to act by creating a sense of fear. A scammer may call you impersonating a government agency and claim you social security number Linked to drug trafficking.
Phishing emails may ask you to update your tax details or to claim that you have won a lottery or free product.
A more effective use of tactical con artists is to send fake login alerts. These will alert you that someone has logged in to your account and will prompt you to take action immediately. This method works well as there are legitimate services such as Google, Apple, Netflix and more and Facebook It also sends you these types of notifications when someone, including you, logs in from a new device. It can be difficult to convey the difference.
When Robert of Danville asks, “I’ve always got spam junk folder emails and say, ‘someone’s logged in to your account.’ Is this justified?
Thank you for writing to Robert. I fully understand how difficult it is to grasp whether these messages are legal or another attempt at fraud. Let’s break down what these emergency warnings usually look like and go in a few ways that can keep you safe.
People logged in to their Gmail account on their laptop (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutsson)
How login alert scams work and why they are so effective
Scammers often pose as login alerts From GoogleApple, Meta, and even banks have official logos because fear is effective. But not all alerts are scams. In many cases, these notifications are legal and can help you detect unauthorized access to your account. Let’s focus on the fraudster first.
Login Alert Scams have been around for a while. Early reports date back to 2021 and the trend has continued ever since. In 2022, a scammer reportedly impersonating meta and sending phishing emails to users.
The FBI warns about fraud targeting victims in fake hospitals and police
One such email used a clean layout with minimal text. It avoided the usual, frightening tactics and stuck to a simple message. But that’s not necessarily the case. A common red flag in phishing attempts is that emails tend to overload unnecessary details. These messages often include cluttered formatting, excessive descriptions, and an increase in typos or design errors. Just one phishing email reaches the point:
Someone tried to put IOG, user LD in your account
The user has logged in to his Facebook account from his new device, Samsung S21. We are sending you to you to make sure it is truly you.
thank you,
Facebook Team
What is being thought of now is that poor grammar is no longer a reliable sign of fraud. Thanks to AI, even those with limited English skills can write sophisticated and professional emails. As a result, many phishing messages today read like legitimate emails from trustworthy businesses.
Receiving phishing emails is not a real problem. Click to start the actual problem. Most of these emails contain links that lead to fake login pages designed to look exactly like platforms like Facebook, Google, and Banks.
Enter your credentials there and they go straight to the scammers. In some cases, simply clicking on the link could trigger a malware download. Especially if your browser is outdated or your device doesn’t have the proper security. Once inside, attackers can steal personal information, monitor activity, and manage their accounts.
Hacker illustration at work (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutsson)
Don’t click on that link! How to find and prevent phishing attacks in your inbox
How to tell if your login alert is real or fake
Actual login notification do They exist; they are far less scary. Genuine alerts from Google, Apple, or Microsoft come from their official addresses (e.g. no-reply@accounts.google.com or security@apple.com) and use consistent branding. Tones are factual and useful.
For example, you might say legal Google security alerts, “I detected a login to my Google account from a new sign in on my Pixel 6 Pro device. If this was you, you don’t need to do anything. If not, we’ll help you protect your account. ” It may contain a “Check Activity” button, but that link will always be redirected to your Google.com address and not prompted to re-enter your password via an email link. Similarly, Apple points out that it does not require passwords or verification codes via email.
Legitimate Google Notifications (Google)
The FBI warns about fraud targeting victims in fake hospitals and police
What to do if you get a suspicious login alert email
1. Do not use powerful antivirus software by clicking on links or attachments. Instead, enter the URL or use the bookmarked link to manually log in to your real site (or open the official app). This ensures you are not stepping into the con artist’s trap. FTC recommends this: If you have an account with that company, please contact them via a website or phone number you actually know, do not have Email information.
The best way to protect yourself from malicious links to install malware is to install antivirus software on all devices, as it may access your personal information. This protection can also warn you that it will phish email and ransomware fraud and keep your personal information and digital assets safe. Get the best 2025 Antivirus Protection Winners picks for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
2. Delete data from the Internet. Scammers can send targeted messages because their data is already there, such as email addresses and phone numbers. This often happens due to past data breaches and shaded data brokers. Data deletion services help you clean up your digital trails by removing information from public databases and talent search sites. It’s not an easy fix, but over time it reduces the way scammers can find you and target you.
Although there is no service that guarantees the complete deletion of data from the Internet, data deletion services are truly a wise choice. They are not cheap and not your privacy either. These services do all of their work by proactively monitoring and systematically erasing personal information from hundreds of websites. It has given me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase personal data from the internet. By limiting the available information, you reduce the risk that scammers cross-referencing your data from violations, providing information they may find on the dark web, making it difficult for them to target you. Please see the top picks for data deletion services.
Click here to get your Fox business on the go
Get it Free scan Find out if your personal information is already on the web.
3. Check your account activity: You will be taken to your account security or sign-in page. You can check your recent logins and devices using services such as Gmail, iCloud, or your bank. If nothing unusual is present, you are safe. If you find a strange login, follow the site’s process (usually you will change your password and log out all your devices). If you can’t find anything strange, change your password as a precaution. Do that through the official website or app, not through email. Consider using Password Manager Generate and store complex passwords.
4. Enabling 2-factor authentication (2FA): This is your best backup. and 2FA Enable it and even if someone has your password, they will not be able to access it without your phone and an additional second element. Both Google and Apple say it makes 2FA easier and hijacking accounts “it’s going to be difficult for scammers.”
5. Report suspicious emails: If you receive a suspicious email claiming it is from a particular organization, please report it to your organization’s official support or security team so that appropriate action can be taken.
This is what you’re wrong when a scammer calls
Important points of cart
There is no need to review all the rough emails. In fact, your email spam filter will catch most phishing attempts for you. Make sure your software is up to date to keep them enabled and block malicious sites and attachments. Still, the most powerful filter is your own perception. You are definitely not alone with this. People receive the fear of these spam logins every day. By keeping your cool head and following the steps above, you’re already ahead of the game.
Click here to get the Fox News app
Have you ever encountered suspicious email or phishing attempts? How did you handle it and what did you learn from the experience? Write us and let us know cyberguy.com/contact
For more information about my tech tips and security alerts, sign up for our free Cyberguy Report Newsletter cyberguy.com/newsletter
Ask us a question in our cart or let us know what you want us to cover
Follow your cart on his social channels
Answers to the most asked Cyber Guy questions:
New from Cart:
Copyright 2025 cyberguy.com. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
