Phishing is a form of social engineering attack that is commonly adopted to steal user information, such as login details and credit card numbers. It happens when an attacker deceives a victim into opening an email, instant message, or text message by disguising themselves as a reliable source. Cybercriminals have been successful in obtaining personal information from people via emails, text messages, direct messages on social media, or video games. The best defense is to be aware and know what to look for.
Here are some indicators of a phishing email:
- Threats or an urgent call to action: Be wary of emails that demand that you call, click, or open an attachment right away. They frequently affirm that you must act right away to receive a benefit or to avoid a penalty. Phishing scams and attacks frequently use a false sense of urgency to their advantage. They do this so that you won’t give it too much thought or consult a reliable source who might warn you.
- Mismatched email domains: If an email claims to be from a reputable company, such as a company or your bank but is sent from another email domain, such as Gmail.com, it is most likely a scam. Also, keep an eye out for subtle misspellings of the legitimate domain name.
- Links that seem suspicious or unexpected attachments: If you think an email message is a scam, avoid clicking any links or downloading any
attachments. Instead, simply move your mouse over the link without clicking it to see if the address corresponds to the one that was entered into the message. The real website address is displayed in the box with the yellow background in the following example when the mouse pointer is over the link. Be aware that the string of numbers has nothing in common with the business’s website address - Grammar and spelling errors: Proficient businesses and organizations typically employ an editorial team to guarantee that customers receive content that is of a high standard. If there are obvious spelling or grammar mistakes in an email message, it could be a scam. These mistakes can occasionally be the result of awkward translation from a foreign language, or they can occasionally be intentional attempts to get past defenses meant to stop these attacks.
