What are phishing scams and how to prevent them

The word ‘phishing’ is used to describe a situation wherein an individual is contacted via email, text message or telephone by someone posing as a representative of a legitimate well-known institution in an attempt to be lured into supplying sensitive data.

Information commonly asked for by the imposter is typically personal information, passwords, bank or credit card details.

This information gained wrongfully is then used for accessing important accounts. Phishing can commonly result in financial loss and identity theft.

Common phishing scams

Some of the most common phishing scams include –

Website phishing scams involving copycat websites that make users unknowingly disclose their sensitive personal information. While website phishing techniques can be quite sophisticated, there are nonetheless some tips to watch out for while browsing the world wide web.

Usually, a fake website will have an air of urgency about it, forcing people to take quick action. Another tell-tale sign of a copycat website is poor designing overall. Pop-up windows are also very commonly seen on such websites.

Email phishing scams wherein a spoofed email message – specifically designed to look exactly like those sent out by legitimate companies – is sent out. Usually, the recipients of such emails are those that had registered themselves for certain specific services.

Such spoofed emails often tend to lead on to a fake website. Be cautious of emails that contain suspicious-looking attachments as these can well be ransomware on containing other malicious software. Also, the sender of such emails is usually someone that the recipient either does not know personally or is not expecting any email communication from.

Tips for preventing phishing attacks

• Using spam filters.
• Change your password regularly.
• Never use the same password for many accounts.
• Check the URL of any link given. Secure websites begin with “https”.
• Change browser settings to prevent fake websites from opening.

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