Phishing & Smishing
Text & Email Fraud
Definition
Phishing: email spam and/or fraud and smishing: text spam and/or fraud is a huge problem in our society today. Because technology is such a major part of our modern lives, we are very susceptible to both forms of deceit.
Examples
Both forms of embezzlement will look very official. They might even lead you to a website almost identical to your banks webpage, if asking for credit card or account information. Another form of both phishing and smishing is the "You won a prize!" scheme. NEVER go to those websites, the odds are very highly on the scam side.
How to Avoid
The big number one is to use your common sense, if something looks to good to be true, learn more about what site you're on. Next, never reply to the emails or texts. Do not fall for the "reply stop to unsubscribe" gag. If you reply, you have confirmed that the account is a working email, and the scammers can sell your email. Lastly, have a one-use-only email or a fake email to give to stores, or whenever you have to sign up for something.