Did you know that 80,000 people fall for a scam online every single day? With so many people getting scammed on a daily basis it is important to truly understand what is phishing. We have put together this guide sharing everything you need to know about phishing.
Keep reading to learn all the ins and outs of phishing scams.
What Is Phishing?
The best definition of phishing is that it is a cybercrime where a target is contacted via email, text message, or telephone by a scammer acting like they are a legitimate institution. Their goal is to lure people into giving their sensitive data such as credit card information, banking passwords, driver’s license info, and even social security numbers.
They then use this information to access their accounts and steal money or even identities.
Spotting a Phishing Email
There are a few signs that an email is not in your best intentions and there might be a scammer on the other end. If an email sounds too good to be true – it probably is. Attention-grabbing and lucrative offers are meant to attract a person immediately to help them fall into a trap.
If you see a random lavish prize such as an iPhone, or money make sure that you are super careful because it is probably not real. Avoiding phishing attacks means being a bit more aware.
Another sign of a scam email is the hyperlinks. If you see any links to click, hover over them before you click anything because it will show you the actual URL where you will be sent to if you were to click on it. Make sure to look at the URL carefully because sometimes scammers will make it look like a real site but have one letter off.
Protecting Yourself From Attacks
There are a few things you can do to protect yourself from phishing attacks and falling victim to a scammer. One of the things you can do is to protect your computer with security software. It is a good idea to set the software to update automatically to deal with any new security threats.
You can also set up multi-factor authentication on your accounts for extra security. This will require two or more credentials in order to even log in to your accounts. Sometimes it will send you a random passcode via text message to your phone to authenticate that it really is you.
Feeling Like a Phishing Expert?
Now that we answered the question “what is phishing?” you can keep your eyes peeled while you are navigating the world wide web. It is super important to be very careful when you are answering text messages, emails, and phone calls. Keep in mind that banks and large corporations will never ask for personal information via an email.
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