Gmail scams: the free and essential tool to avoid deception

Attackers pretend to be a trusted organizationsuch as a bank, a social network, an email service or a well-known company. They include links that lead to fake websites, designed to look like the originals. On these sites, victims enter their information without knowing that they are sharing it with scammers.

Although they look authentic, many phishing messages contain small spelling errors or suspicious email addresses such as banc0.com instead of bank.com

The Gmail tool to avoid scams

• spam filter– Gmail identifies suspicious emails and automatically redirects them to the Spam folder. This includes messages that contain malicious links, typical scam patterns, or untrustworthy senders.

• Safety warnings: Gmail displays visible alerts on emails that it considers potentially dangerous, such as those with phishing attempts or links to unsafe sites. These warnings typically include messages such as “This email may not be secure” or “This email may be phishing.”

• Senders verification: For certain domains, Gmail checks whether the mail was sent by a legitimate server using technologies such as DMARC, DKIM, and SPF. If it fails these checks, the message could be marked as untrustworthy.

• Protection against malicious links: Gmail analyzes the links included in emails to detect if they redirect to dangerous sites. If a link is identified as malicious, Gmail blocks access or displays a warning to the user before they click.

• Blocking suspicious attachments: Gmail prevents users from receiving emails with dangerous attachments, such as executables (.exe) that may contain malware.

• Artificial intelligence: Gmail uses machine learning and advanced algorithms to identify behavioral patterns associated with fraudulent or spam emails, continually improving its ability to detect threats.