Phishing scams are the most common form of cybercrime in the world. In a phishing scam, a hacker will use deceptive tactics to trick users into revealing their passwords or other sensitive information. Knowing how to identify a phishing scam is critical to avoiding becoming a victim. Fortunately, QualityIP is here to help with the 10 most common phishing scams out there and how you can avoid falling victim to them.
1. Email Phishing
What it is: This common form of phishing scam involves hackers sending fraudulent emails that appear to come from legitimate sources. You may get a suspicious email from your bank or a social media platform urging you to click on a malicious link or to download an attachment to avoid some dire consequence.
How to Avoid it: Don’t trust email links. Always double-check the sender’s email address and red flag any misspellings. Don’t click links r download attachments from emails directly, but rather go to the official website and type the URL directly into your browser.
2. Spear Phishing
What it is: Spear phishing is a more targeted form of phishing. In spear phishing, hackers send customized emails to specific individuals, often using personal information obtained from social media, online sources or previous data hacks. These extra details make the email seem more legitimate.
How to Avoid It: Never share personal information online and verify the authenticity of all emails before responding, even if they’re personalized. You can also enable two-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security to accounts.
3. SMS Phishing (Smishing)
What it is: Cyber crimes aren’t just limited to your computer. With an SMS phishing attack, a hacker will send a fake text message to your phone with a malicious link attached or a request for you to provide personal information to verify your identity. These messages often look legitimate, but they aren’t.
How to Avoid it: Always be suspicious of unsolicited text messages, especially ones with links or requests for additional information. Never click on a link in a text message that you weren’t expecting.
4. Voice Phishing (Vishing)
What it is: Have you ever gotten a call from a scammer pretending to be the bank or the IRS? That’s a vishing attempt. These callers often ask for sensitive information or request the victim to make fraudulent payments to avoid jail time or other severe penalties.
How to Avoid it: Don’t answer for unknown numbers and never give out personal or financial information over the phone when you’re not sure who you’re speaking with. If you need to provide personal information, call the organization directly using their official contact information.
5. Clone Phishing
What it is: In this scam, hackers clone a legitimate email that the victim has already viewed, but replace the link with a malicious one.
How to Avoid it: If you receive an email you weren’t expecting with a link in it, don’t click it. Look for clues, like an email claiming to be a follow-up on a previous communication that you weren’t expecting.
6. Pharming
What it is: Farming redirects users from the website they intended to visit to a fraudulent one without their consent. The goal is to steal login credentials or payment information.
How to Avoid it: Always check for HTTPS and the padlock symbol in your browser’s address bar when visiting websites to ensure that they are secure.
7. Social Media Phishing
What it is: Bad actors create fake profiles on social media platforms, pretending to be a friend or an organization. They send malicious links or requests for personal information, often through messaging apps built into social media platforms.
How to Avoid it: Be cautious about accepting friend requests from people you don’t know. Avoid engaging with messages from people you don’t know and never send sensitive information over social media.
8. Pop-Up Phishing
What it is: Fake pop-up windows or alerts appear on your computer screen, claiming to be from legitimate websites or companies. The pop-ups ask for personal information or download malware onto a user’s machine.
How to Avoid it: Never enter personal information into a pop-up window. Always navigate directly to the official website if prompted to log in or update information via a pop-up window.
9. Business Email Phishing
What it is: In this type of phishing attack, hackers impersonate executives at a company, sending emails to staff instructing them to transfer funds, share passwords or give out other compromising information.
How to Avoid it: Verify any unusual requests for financial transactions or sensitive information by contacting the requester directly.
10. Man-in-the-Middle Phishing
What it is: In this type of cyberattack, hackers intercept communications between 2 parties to steal sensitive information. For example, they may target communications between you and your bank to steal sensitive information.
How to Avoid it: Use a secure, encrypted connection (HTTPS) and avoid public Wi-Fi for making financial transactions or for logging into sensitive accounts.
Phishing scams are always evolving, but staying informed and being vigilant online can help reduce your risk of falling victim to one of these types of attacks. Always be careful with unsolicited emails, texts and phone calls. When in doubt, verify the authenticity of any unusual request before you comply and never click a link in a text message or share sensitive information over the internet.