Many people think that they know all there is to know about scam emails. In reality, many fall victim to them every day. Worst of all, it is just the tip of an iceberg.
A correlative of scam emails is a phishing email, which also happens to be the most common cybercrime method. Phishing emails usually look deceivingly credible, which makes it challenging for the receiver to identify them as such. Whether the objective is to get your passwords or any other sensitive information, hackers use phishing attacks to steal valuable data, and businesses are no exception to this potential threat.
Read on to learn how to prevent phishing emails by spotting the red flags right away!
How Phishing Works
A phishing email is one of the ways cybercriminals use to fish people’s personal financial information. It starts when you receive an email that appears to come from a reputable company. It could seem like an entity you do business with, such as your financial institution or a government agency.
Once you open the email, it prompts you to click on a button to redirect you to the institution’s website. So, when you are on the landing page, a pop-up window appears that requests your financial information.
For example, you could be asked to update your account information or to provide other sensitive information like your PPS number, your password, or a verification question for your identity. In any case, if you provide the requested information, you fall victim to identity theft.
How to Identify Phishing Emails
Here are three clues to help you spot phishing attacks:
A Sense of Urgency
Usually, the content of a phishing email creates a sense of urgency. The email usually warns you of a severe problem that requires urgent attention. It uses phrases like “immediate attention required” to prompt you to click on a button.
A Phony Website
In a phishing attack, you are redirected to a phoney website by clicking on the given button. While the website might appear to be like the real thing, there are hidden clues that tell you it’s not.
Suspicious Links
Most phishing emails also contain a suspicious link, which redirects you to a phoney website. For instance, if you get an email from ABC Bank, you expect to be redirected to an address that should start with ‘abc.com’. Even if you cannot see the link or button’s address, you can still find out where it goes before clicking on it. All you have to do is hover your mouse over the link, and the destination address will appear along the bottom of your browser.
Bottom Line
The best prevention against phishing attacks is through appropriate awareness training in your organization. It is only reinforcing advice on avoiding scams that your staff can learn to identify phishing emails on the nose.
You can take your cybersecurity a step further by letting Motherboard IT Support handle it for you. With our precise cybersecurity plan and awareness training, you can protect your business and employees against all kinds of online threats.
