The three keys to instantly detecting scams, according to a cybersecurity expert

Email scams have become one of the biggest threats facing Spanish users. These scams come in all forms, including impersonating banks, companies with which we have contracted services, government agencies, or even friends or family.

Although we're increasingly aware of these types of dangers, the scams are so convincing that we continue to fall for them. Now, our smartphones are sometimes able to detect when it might be spam, but it's still not enough.

For this reason, cybersecurity expert María Aperador (@mariaperadorcriminologia) has shared some tips on her TikTok profile that can help you spot fraud right away, which can save you from a bad time and also protect your money.

The expert points out that these indications are the same as those given by the US FBI itself, and that the first factor that should alert us and make us suspect fraud is whether the message incites urgency. The moment you receive a message and it triggers some kind of negative emotion or feeling, you should begin to suspect it.

The next step is to check the email address from which the message was sent. It's key to look closely at the sender, not just the name (which is what we usually do), but also the entire domain. As a general rule, the company's official domain should appear after the @ , for example, @eleconomista.es. If there's no match, the alerts should be triggered.

Finally, once you're in the email, the expert recommends being especially careful with any links you might encounter. Whether it asks you to fill out a form with your information or requires you to enter your password to confirm your identity, you should never do so directly from that link. It's best to go to the website of the company or app it claims to be, and if you have anything pending to fill out or confirm, do so from there.

By applying these simple tricks, you can be much safer, and as Aperador points out , you can save yourself from significant financial losses that this scam could cause, in addition to putting your safety at risk.