How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Phishing

Phishing is a type of internet fraud when someone is trying to get confidential user data (logins, passwords, accounts, and bank cards). For this, fake sites, mailing lists, or social engineering (hacking using the human factor) are used. It is a serious threat, and every user must be aware of how to avoid phishing. Avoid Email Scams: How to Steer Clear of Phishing

To avoid getting phished, it will be useful to know how it works in general. Imagine you’ve received an email from an online store you like. The letter does not contain anything special besides the request to confirm your account to keep using bonuses. Then you click the link and enter your personal data as well as the bank card details. As a result, minutes later you get a message from the bank about debiting a large amount from an account. The truth is revealed later, and the user realizes that it was a fake site that imitated the page of a popular online store. So, the simplest way not to become a victim of phishing is to be careful when checking emails.

How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Phishing

The first effective way on how to avoid phishing attack is by using a reliable cybersecurity solution. And it should be installed on all the gadgets you use for checking emails. A powerful antivirus includes protection against spam and phishing emails and recognizes suspicious recipients. It is also important to update protection regularly. Cyber scammers invent new viruses and phishing methods literally every day. One more way to avoid phishing scams is to check a sender's address. Fraudsters register an email address that looks like the address of a real online store, bank, or other legal organization. But on closer examination, inconsistencies can be found.

How to Avoid Phishing Emails

Fraudsters know how to play on emotions. And a good decision on how to avoid email phishing is to be always vigilant and not react to a flashy email subject line. For instance, it may be like a threat that your account has been blocked or something urgent from the Security Service. Another way to attract your attention is to inform you that you’ve received 3000 bonuses. Sometimes the letter may contain a link leading to a phishing site. Be always careful when checking the sender’s address.

What Phishing Emails Look Like

To avoid phishing email, it will be useful to know what such suspicious mails look like and what they are about. Usually, phishing emails contain attached documents and links in the text. The latter can be written with mistakes, typos, and grammar problems. Such emails are designed in a bad manner and look unprofessional.

How to Recognize Phishing Scams

Even if you’ve clicked this suspicious link in the email and opened a website, don’t hurry up. Always check your browser's address bar. Sometimes you can get to a phishing site even when you go from the page of the portal you know to another one. Make sure the connection is secure. If you want to enter personal information or card details and purchase through the site, then “https” and a closed padlock icon must be in front of its address. This means that the connection is secure: when you enter data on the site, they are automatically encrypted and cannot be intercepted.

What to Do in Case of Trouble with Phishing Emails

A secure connection is a mandatory requirement but it is not enough. Hackers cannot connect to such a site and find out your data. But this is not a guarantee that the website itself was created by a law-abiding company. Recently, criminals have also managed to obtain security certificates for their sites. One more piece of advice on how to avoid phishing attacks is to pay attention to the design of a website. Sloppy layout, spelling errors, broken sections, and links are clear signs of a fake.

How to Avoid Phishing Attack: Technology Can Help

Usually, online criminals first hook a person to the quick: they intimidate them with the loss of money or lure them with super benefits, arousing curiosity or sympathy. Then they swindle out personal data, account, or card details. And in the end, money is debited from the bank account. The following recommendations can help you to get rid of problems with phishing:

1. Install a high-quality cybersecurity solution such as F-Secure SAFE or Bitdefender Internet Security
2. Do not click any links in the emails sent by unknown senders.
3. Always check the full description of the website address bar.
4. Do not make payments through unsafe pages.
5. Do not use the same card for all transactions.

Always pay attention to everything you do on the Internet, and do not forget about antiviruses and their automatic updates. And then no scammers will disturb you!