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Phishing is a technique used by cybercriminals to steal personal information, such as account numbers, passwords and Social Security Numbers. These criminals use the stolen information to illegally access your bank accounts, run up bills on your credit cards or make fraudulent purchases in your name. They can also damage your reputation and make it difficult to get jobs or loans in the future.

Criminals often impersonate recognizable brands, such as banks, online retailers or the makers of popular apps. They can even create websites that appear to be the legitimate sites of those brands and request that you verify or provide information through them. These scams can occur via email, phone or text message. Smishing (text-based phishing) is the most common method for criminals to target people.

Sense of Urgency

Scammers commonly use the threat of punishment or reward to prompt victims to take immediate action. This false sense of urgency should be a warning sign that the email or call may be a phishing attempt. Similarly, any requests to send money or open attachments should be treated with suspicion.

Spelling and Grammatical Errors

Legitimate businesses have standardized templates and proofreading processes that should ensure spelling and grammar errors are minimal. However, phishers sometimes try to hide these errors by using shortening techniques for links and by misspelling their domain names. Employees should always look for these inconsistencies when reviewing emails. They should also be sure to hover over any hyperlinks in an email to see the real URL of where the link will take them.