Phishing is a form of fraud in which an attacker pretends to be someone else in an email, or other forms of communication. Attackers will commonly use phishing emails to distribute malicious links or attachments or steal your data.
Attackers are getting smarter at pretending to be legit and encouraging you to give away passwords and personal info.
Here’s some common types of email Phishing
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information
- say you must confirm some personal information
- include a fake invoice
- want you to click on a link to make a payment to tax office or other big org
- say you’re eligible to register for a refund
- offer a coupon for free things
Ways to protect yourself
- Don’t open suspicious emails, just delete them
- Protect your computer by using security software – such as Bitfender
- Protect your accounts by using multi-factor authentication. This is extra credentials to log into your account such as a passcode or fingerprint scan
- Back up your data on mobile and computers regularly to an external drive or the cloud
