Don’t get fooled by email phishing attacks!

If you happen to work in IT security, you've got an average time of one minute and 20 seconds to save your company from being hacked! No, this is not a drill, when an employee opens a phishing email it sets in motion a race to prevent data from leaking.  But what exactly is phishing and how can you know if you've received a phishing email…

What is Phishing?
When you use email, it’s difficult to know exactly who you are dealing with. Fraudsters will often send out fake emails or set up fake websites that look the same as the original site’s sign-in pages; this is often known as “phishing” (a play on the word “fishing”) because the fraudster is fishing for your private account information.

A typical scammer will try to trick you into giving out your user name and password so that they can gain access to your online account. Once they gain access to the account they can use any of your personal information to commit crimes like: identity theft, using your credit cards, emptying your bank account, reading your email and changing your password to lock you out of your online account.

If you ever get an email or instant message from someone you don’t know and they direct you to sign in to a website – be careful! You may have received a phishing email with links to a phishing website.

A phishing website, which is sometimes called a “spoofed” site, tries to steal your account password or other personal information by tricking you into believing it is a real website. You could even accidentally land on a phishing site by mistyping a URL.

Signs you May have Received a Phishing Email
Unofficial “From” address – Always look out for a sender’s email address that is similar to, but not exactly the same as a company’s official email address. A scammer will often sign up for free email accounts with company names in them… these are meant to fool you!

Urgent action required – Fraudsters often include “calls to action” to try to get you to react immediately. Be very wary of emails with phrases like “your account will be closed”, “your account has been compromised” or “urgent action required.” The fraudster is taking full advantage of your concern to trick you into providing confidential information.

Generic greeting – A fraudster will often send thousands of phishing emails at one time. They may have your email address, but seldom have your name. be very cautious of an email sent with a generic greeting such as “Dear Customer” or “Dear Member”.

Link to a fake website – To fool you into giving out your user name and password, scammers often include a link to a fake website that looks a lot like (sometimes exactly the same) as the sign-in page of the real website.

The email has poor spelling or grammar.

Be Mindful and Observant
When I comes to phishing, the best defense is you! If you are mindful of potential phishing traps and observant of the obvious signs of a scam, you can better defend against a phishing attack. Here are some simple tips to protect yourself:

- If you receive an email from your bank and it is sent to “Recipients”, be aware, this is probably a scam!

- Never, ever click on the links or respond to the emails.

- Be cautious bout all communications you receive, including those that are apparently from trusted people, and be very careful when clicking links within those messages. If in doubt, do not click.

- Don’t send and of your personal information via email. Legitimate businesses will not ask users to send their sensitive information through an email.

Scammers will gain your confidence through the use of deception, to try and defraud you. So, always be aware, prepared and proactive!

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