“There is no one single solution to eradicate phishing.”
– Naftali Bennett
As modern technology becomes super user friendly, you may find yourself using it frequently and firing off emails like they’re going out of style. It is, therefore, important that you learn about some of the dangers out there in the cyberworld and how to protect yourself.
In this post we’ll talk about a common threat known as phishing.
What is Phishing?
Phishing is when someone tries to steal your sensitive information, like passwords and credit card details, by acting like a legitimate institution.
Scammers typically try to access their victims’ private information, by email, phone, text, websites and any other means, either by requesting it directly or through installing malicious software on their computers [1]. They then use this information to access accounts, which can lead to financial loss and identity theft [2].
Phishing is fairly easy for criminals to carry out and at the same time very powerful [3]. In July 2017, Symantec reported that 1 out of every 1,968 emails was a phishing attack.
How to Identify an Email Phishing Scam
Although phishing scams can seem quite convincing, there are some typical things look out for. Microsoft suggests paying attention to the following factors in email messages:
- Spelling and grammar – spelling mistakes and bad grammar are a warning sign. It signals that the sender of the email may not be the professional and legitimate source they claim to be.
- Links – links are a way to take you somewhere that you may not want to go. By clicking on a link, you may download dangerous files can steal sensitive information. If the email message seems suspicious, make sure not to click.
- Threats – scare tactics are a common way of trying to get you to take action quickly. This can come in the form of a message that your account will be closed down immediately, unless you …, or some other scare. Don’t lose your sense of judgement.
- Company names – if the email seems to be coming from a well-known company, double check for any subtle spelling differences in the web address they provide.
Additional features to pay attention to are:
- Offers – if “you’ve won” anything that you didn’t do anything for, be suspicious.
- Attachments – if your email comes with an attachment, it may be problematic. Make sure you trust its source before opening it.
- Something strange – “Whether it looks like it’s from someone you don’t know or someone you do know, if anything seems out of the ordinary, unexpected, out of character or just suspicious in general don’t click on it!”
Modern technology is making it super simple for people to stay connected at all ages. But it also allows scammers to target vulnerable victims. Beware of phishing scams and protect yourself.
What advice would you give to avoid phishing scams?
Please share in the comments below.
[1] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/safety/online-privacy/phishing-symptoms.aspx
[2] http://www.phishing.org/what-is-phishing
[3] https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-phishing-how-to-protect-yourself-from-scam-emails-and-more/