Don’t Take the Bait!
Online commerce and communications have become ubiquitous in the lives of millions of Americans. Whether it’s online banking, shopping or social media, the Internet plays an integral role of our society.
Unfortunately, opportunistic hackers and scam artists are often quite tech-savvy, and they are actively attempting to swindle people and sow chaos on your computer or mobile device. Every year, especially during the peak of the holiday shopping season, we observe an uptick in a particular type of online fraud: phishing.
Most phishing emails or text messages share one primary goal: getting you to click on a link or open an attachment. If you receive a suspicious email, the most important thing to remember is DO NOT CLICK on anything in the email! By clicking on the content, you are potentially unleashing a barrage of malware and viruses that could harm your computer or mobile device.
Releasing the malware may be the end goal of some phishing scams, but others go a step further to hijack your personal information for financial exploitation. For example, you may be directed to a fake website prompting you to enter your log-in credentials for a financial institution or to input other confidential information.
Although it is almost inevitable that you will receive a fraudulent email or text message, many of these scams possess several recognizable characteristics. By understanding the signs of a phishing message and remaining vigilant when opening your emails, you can significantly decrease the likelihood of “taking the bait” from a phishing scam.
Telltale Signs of Phishing
♦ The email starts with “Dear Customer” or another generic greeting.
♦ The email is written in broken English or contains an excessive amount of grammatical errors.
♦ Hover your curser over the sender’s name to reveal the sender’s real email address. If the real email address does not match the email address displayed, it is likely a scam.
♦ Do a Google search for the sender’s email address/phone number or the email subject line, followed by the phrase “phishing” or “scam”. Take a look at the first few results to see if the email has been previously identified as malicious.
If the email possesses any of these characteristics, delete it immediately.
Confirm Your Order?
The fake “order confirmation” email is especially prevalent during the holidays. You may receive an email that appears to be from an online retailer, asking you to confirm your purchase. The hacker’s goal when sending an order confirmation phishing email is for you to “review your order” by either clicking on a link or opening the email’s attachment.
Of all the various scams, these emails are perhaps the most enticing. If you did not order anything from the retailer in question, you may be tempted to click or open to see what was ordered. On the other hand, if you had recently purchased from the online retailer, you may assume it was for your legitimate purchase and click on the link or attachment.
If you have an account with the supposed sender, log in to your account and check your order history. If no purchases are listed, the email is a scam. If you do not have an account with the supposed sender, it is almost certainly a scam.
While it is likely that an unexpected order confirmation email is the work of a phishing scam artist, it is also possible that someone has hacked into one of your online retail accounts and made fraudulent purchases. Just in case, monitor your credit card and bank transactions for fraudulent transactions. If detected, report it to the financial institution as soon as possible.
This holiday season, be vigilant when handling suspicious emails or text messages. By following the guidelines in this article and remaining aware of the signs of phishing emails, you can protect yourself and your devices from falling prey to the malicious attempts of online scam artists.
