Phishing is one of the most common cybersecurity attacks on the internet. Through emails or text messages, cybercriminals can commit brand abuse and access people’s personal information by stealing passwords, account numbers, and social security numbers.
However, spotting phishing methods and scams online isn’t as challenging as people think they are. Some clues and signs tell users that the emails, text messages, and links they can click on are tools cybercriminals use to phish their victims.
1. Carefully Check the Email’s Subject
The first thing you should do is to check the email’s subject carefully. Most phishing scams can be easily spotted just by the email’s subject. It should sound legitimate and not sound like a scam. For example, an email saying, “Here is your login and password”, is a lot different from a scam email that says, “Click here to update your details.” Take note that emails from real-looking companies will not ask for your personal information via email.
2. Check the Email’s Sender
The second mistake people commit is not checking the sender’s email or the emails they receive from the company they’re working with. However, these small details are crucial in spotting phishing scams. You should check if the sender is legit or not. Users can compare their messages by simply going to their inbox or spam folder and looking at the sender’s email address.
3. Check Out the URL
Checking the URL of the email’s link is also essential. The link should go to the company’s official website, not to a different site. Just by clicking a link, users can be redirected to a phishing page or other malicious websites. The best thing to do is to type the URL into your browser’s address bar. If you’re redirected to a different website, there’s no telling what you might be letting yourself in to.
4. Check the Email’s Grammar and Spelling
Phishing emails are usually challenging to detect because cybercriminals take the time to make the emails look as legit as possible. However, the spelling and grammar of the emails are easy to spot. Phishing emails are not as polished as emails from companies you’re dealing with.
When you check out the email’s content, are there any words that don’t fit in with the rest? For example, if there are words like “click here” or “go to login” or “enter your account details” in the email’s content, the email is likely a phishing scam because real-looking companies will not ask you to click on a link or enter your account information.
5. Know Your Bank’s Phone Number
Another way to bust a phishing scam is to know your bank’s phone number. There are still a lot of banks that don’t have online support but offer online banking services. To verify your identity, phishing scams will always ask for your security number, which is almost similar to the credit card’s number.
Phishing scams are standard on the internet, but if you know what to look out for, you’ll never be fooled by them. However, you can easily spot phishing scams and avoid falling for them with these simple tips and tricks. The best thing to do is to warn your friends, family, and peers about the dangers of falling for phishing scams and phishing emails so that they can avoid it.
FraudWatch is a digital brand protection agency that ensures clients of phishing protection services. Our goal has always been to prevent and resolve brand abuse issues, making online transactions safer for every user. Check out how our system works by scheduling an appointment with us today.