Think of how awful it would be if someone with bad intentions had access to the bank accounts or other confidential information from your company. This is exactly what can happen if you become a victim of phishing scam! Want to know how this scam works and how can you avoid this virtual attack? Then check out today’s post and learn all about this cyber fraud:
What is a phishing scam?
The phishing scam happens when an ill-intentioned person induces you to reveal personal information like bank accounts, passwords and other confidential information. This scam can be done through fake websites, emails, text messages, instant messages or telephone calls in which a cybercriminal pretends to be someone from a company that you know or a bank. Check out the main ways to avoid this scam:
Good Security Practices
The first way to avoid this scam is to educate yourself and your employees to take preventive actions against this type of fraud through a consultancy firm. So check out what to do to avoid this scam:
Compare the email address: Check if the email sender address matches the real address that is shown on the company’s website.
Beware of generic titles: Emails sent to you with a generic title, such as “Dear customer”, are indications of fraud. Be aware of emails that do not use or indicate your name.
Look for spelling and grammar mistakes: An email full of grammar mistakes can be evidence of fraud.
Check the links’ URL: Place the mouse arrow on the links on the email to verify if the website address is spelled correctly. Hackers usually make fake websites using misspelled addresses.
Beware of sites that ask for too much information: Be suspicious of any website that asks for too much information, well beyond the necessary, or user name and password.
Look for a security symbol: On websites in which you need to enter sensitive data, look for a padlock symbol on your browser window and check if the website URL begins with “https”.
Never fill out forms within emails: Avoid filling out forms in email messages or attachments.
Do not enter payment information on unsafe websites: Do not enter bank or credit card details about payments, access or other confidential data on a website unless you know that the information is encrypted.
Email Managers
Most email managers come with anti-phishing detection. The goal is to prevent suspicious email messages from reaching you. These programs detect and delete suspicious messages, transferring them to the junk mail folder and warning the user about the possible threat.
Antivirus
Some more comprehensive antivirus security programs are always updated about the most common cyber threats on the network, quickly detecting email messages that are suspicious or fraudulent.
