Phishing
How Not to Get Scammed
Phishing: What is it?
Phishing is the attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money), often for malicious reasons, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
Phishing Emails Often Have...
- "Dear Customer," or "Client," as a greeting, instead of your first name
- Urge you to click a link
- Stress certain dangers, such as the termination of your account. Some keywords include "urgent" and "immediate."
- Slight typos in their email address, web address, and more
Preventative Measures You Can Take...
- Checking addresses. Often times they have a letter missing, an extra letter, or a substitute EX: @ in place of a
- Proofreading the email. Sometimes English isn't a Phisher's first language.
- Checking where a link directs you. A good way to do this is to hover over the suspicious link. Legitimate emails almost always have "https://" in place of "http://"
Cybercrime Exposed: How to Spot a Phishing Scam