“Scammers use email or text messages to trick you into giving them your personal information. They may try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could gain access to your email, bank, or other accounts. “
FTC Consumer Information
How Do I Recognize Phishing Attempts?
Phishing emails are sometimes very convincing and can be difficult to identify at a glance compared to a normal email.
For instance, the user may receive an email that looks legitimate and appears to be from a person or company that they know, but the email may contain an attachment or link that is malicious or unsafe. It may ask the user to open the attachment or click on a link, often with phrasing that will imply urgent action is required. Following these instructions could activate malicious code that installs malware on the system, retrieve personal or company information, or execute a command that can compromise the machine.
Following these instructions could activate malicious code that installs malware on the system, retrieve personal or company information, or execute a command that can compromise the machine.
Below are some warning signs that an email might be a phishing attempt:
- The email is unexpected.
- The email asks you to take action that you have never taken before (e.g., click on this link to complete a new task, purchase gift cards and send the codes via email).
- The email asks you to send personal or sensitive information (like a password, an account number, a credit card number, or the answer to a security question).
- The email appears to be from the government.
- The email creates a strong sense of urgency.
- The email is confusing.
- The email’s contents seem too good to be true.
- The email has poor grammar.
Four Steps to Protect Yourself From Phishing
- Protect your computer by using security software.
- Protect your mobile phone by setting software to update automatically.
- Protect your accounts by using multi-factor authentication.
- Protect your data by backing it up.
Cyber-crime can happen to anyone at any time, be it at work or at home on your personal computer and email. As always, be vigilant and attentive.
Please contact us with any questions you might have.