How to protect yourself against email Phishing scams

WATCH YOUR STEP

Email Phishing scams are carried out online by tech-savvy con artists. Phishing emails and text messages may look like they’re from a company you know or trust such as a bank, credit card company, social media website, an online payment website or app, or an online store.

Phishing scams work by convincing you to click on a link and disclosing sensitive infomation like credit card numbers and passwords. Once you take the phisher’s bait, they can use the information to create fake accounts in your name, ruin your credit, and steal your money or even your identity.

Phishers often pretend to be legitimate companies. Their messages may sound genuine, and their sites can look like the real thing. It can be hard to tell the difference, but you may be dealing with a phishing scam if you see the following:

• Saying you must confirm some personal information.

• Including a fake invoice.

• Prompting you to click on a link to make a payment.

• Notifying you that you’re eligible to register for a government refund.

If you’re suspicious of whether or not an email or text message you’ve received is the real deal, check the following signals that are often a sign of phishing:

• Misspelled URLs or general spelling mistakes in the email.

• Lack of a personal greeting or customized information within a message. Legitimate emails from banks and credit card companies will often include partial account numbers, username or password.

If you think you’ve received a phishing email, never click on suspicious links or attachments. If you think the message could be legitimate, go to your web browser and search for the organization’s website or call the organization using a phone number listed on the back of a membership card or on a bill statement. If the suspicious message appears to come from a person you know, contact that person via phone call to confirm it.

If you’re suspicious that you may have accidently fallen for a phishing attack, here are a few things you should do:

• While it’s fresh in your mind, write down as many details of the attack as you can recall. Try to note any information such as usernames, account numbers or passwords you may have shared.

• Immediately change the passwords on those affected accounts, as well as anywhere else that you might use the same password. Create unique passwords for each account.

• Confirm that you have multifactor authentication (also known as two-step verification) turned on for every account.

• If you shared information about your credit cards or bank accounts, contact those companies as well to alert them.

• If you’ve lost money or been the victim of identity theft, report it to local law enforcement. The details in step one will be very helpful to them.

There are multiple companies that provide anti-spam and -phishing software that will filter suspicious emails into a spam folder before you even view it. Some phishing emails may still get through, but as long as you are aware of the signs, you can avoid getting scammed.

-support.microsoft.com