How to Avoid Phishing Emails
Phishing is an attempt to trick a user into providing confidential information by sending an email message that appears to be from a legitimate organization. The email may contain links to a fake website, a suspicious attachment or a form that asks for personal or financial information.
Most phishing attacks use social engineering tactics. They attempt to get the user to provide their sign-on information, which allows the attacker to gain access to their bank accounts or other personal information.
A phishing attack usually includes a pop-up, a web page, or a fake login page. Once the victim enters their login details, the attacker has access to their account and can sell their personal details to other scammers.
Some phishing emails include a link to a malicious HTML file or PDF attachment. Unlike a DOC file, these attachments aren’t as likely to be detected by antivirus software.
These files are used to install malware on the computer. To prevent this from happening, you should scan the computer regularly and update security software.
If you’re unsure about an email’s authenticity, call the company and look up their contact information. You can also run a phishing test to see if you’re at risk.
Most legitimate institutions will never ask you to provide sensitive information in an email. It is always a good idea to check online accounts for new activity and to set multi-factor authentication.
Scammers will also attempt to get your passwords and Social Security numbers. To avoid this, you should change your passwords on a regular basis and use security software.