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related to: How do I know if a phishing email is legit?91% Of Data Breaches Start With Spear Phishing Attacks On Organizations. IT Pros Know That Simulated Phishing Tests Are A Required Security Layer.
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Phishing is an attack where a scammer calls you, texts or emails you, or uses social media to trick you into clicking a malicious link, downloading malware, or sharing sensitive information. Phishing attempts are often generic mass messages, but the message appears to be legitimate and from a trusted source (e.g. from a bank, courier company).
- Alarming Subject Line. Cybercriminals use social engineering, which is just targeted manipulation to convince a person (or organization) to reveal sensitive information.
- Suspicious Domain Name. The cybercriminals will also try to ensure the email looks legitimate. For example, they may use the name, logo, and email design of a reputable company.
- Greeting is Generic or Too Personalized. Some phishing emails will start with a generic greeting. For instance, they may greet you with "Dear Customer," "Dear [Service] User," "To Whom It May Concern," "Dear [username on email address]," or simply "Greetings."
- Grammar and Spelling Mistakes. When a legitimate company sends an email, it will ensure it has correct grammar and spelling. A phishing email, on the other hand, may have obvious errors.
- Legit companies don’t request your sensitive information via email. Chances are if you receive an unsolicited email from an institution that provides a link or attachment and asks you to provide sensitive information, it’s a scam.
- Legit companies usually call you by your name. Phishing emails typically use generic salutations such as “Dear valued member,” “Dear account holder,” or “Dear customer.”
- Legit companies have domain emails. Don’t just check the name of the person sending you the email. Check their email address by hovering your mouse over the ‘from’ address.
- Legit companies know how to spell. Possibly the easiest way to recognize a scammy email is bad grammar. An email from a legitimate organization should be well written.
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t.
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t.
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t.
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake.
Double check hyperlinks before you click on them. Roll over any links in an email you receive before you click to see where the link really leads. Suspicious links are one of the main giveaways of ...
Jul 24, 2016 · A. First, check the sender's email address for misspellings. Fraudsters trying to lure you with a phishing scam might use an address that's similar to a company's official one, but not exactly the ...
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7. USPS or UPS phishing emails – i.e. “package couldn’t be delivered”: These emails look as though they came from the mail delivery service, such as USPS or UPS. They’re asking you to submit a personal information as the “package couldn’t be delivered.”.
