Phishing involves malicious actors sending messages pretending to be a trusted person or entity, and is the most common form of cybercrime. If something seems suspicious, trust your instinct.
Telltale signs of phishing include:
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- Urgent or emotionally appealing language
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- A sense of urgency to click right away
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- Requests to send personal or financial information
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- Unexpected attachments
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- Untrusted shortened URLs
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- Email addresses that do not match the supposed sender
When encountering a suspicious message, use the “report spam” feature. In cases where the message impersonates an organization you trust, notify the organization using the contact information found on their official website.
Lastly, delete suspicious messages. Don’t reply or click on any attachment or link, including the “unsubscribe” link, which could carry a link used for phishing.
Author: Greg Caleo
