Avoid Phishing Attacks

Email continues to be one of the main ways cybercriminals launch phishing attacks. Phishing is a fraud method in which a scammer sends a legitimate-looking, urgent-sounding email or text message to try and gather the recipients’ personal and financial information.

Even though modern spam filters can eliminate the majority of spam and suspicious messages, it’s up to us to filter out the rest. Here are five tips to help you:

1. Know the warning signs
   Poor grammar, threatening language, unrealistic promises, and unexpected attachments all qualify as warning signs. If a message includes any of these signs, take extreme caution and assume you’re being targeted.
2. Protect your privacy
   Don’t respond to unsolicited emails or text messages asking for personal or account information. Also, Do Not click on any links within the message.
3. Remain skeptical
   If you don’t feel the email is authentic, contact the organization directly or use a phone number or email address you know to be correct.  Trust your instincts!
4. Avoid bogus sites
   Hovering your mouse over a link will reveal the full URL. This helps you spot malicious links, which usually lead to websites that have nothing to do with the context of the message.  Instead, enter web addresses directly into a browser or go to a trusted bookmark you’ve created.
5. Don’t make assumptions
   Just because an email appears to come from someone you know doesn’t mean it’s safe. If you’re asked for a password, input an incorrect one first. A bogus website will accept it, but a legitimate website won’t.

Although phishing typically happens via email, keep these warning signs in mind when handling text messages as well.