Phishing scams are reportedly the most common type of cyber-attack, accounting for 1% of all emails sent today. These attacks, where an attacker will attempt to persuade their victims to click a link, ask for sensitive information or download malware, are becoming increasingly sophisticated. As millions of people fall for these attacks every day, read on to learn the signs to look out for.
You weren’t expecting it
Did you initiate the email? Were you expecting it? If the email has come completely out of the blue we’d advise you against trusting it.
It’s poorly written
Scammers often lack writing and proofreading skills. Can you spot a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes?
It’s asking for sensitive information
No email should ask you for sensitive or personal information. If it looks authentic or appears to be from a trusted source, we’d still recommend you don’t reply or follow the link in the email. Instead, contact the sender directly, in a brand new email, via a direct phone number or open their website in a new window.
It has suspicious attachments
Does the email contain suspicious attachments? Alarm bells should definitely ring if the email contains attachments that you weren’t expecting. The attachment could contain a malicious URL or trojan, leading to the installation of a virus or malware on your PC or network. If in doubt? Definitely, don’t click it!
It seems too good to be true
Are you being offered a lot of money or a free holiday? In our experience, if it seems too good to be true, it almost definitely is.
Alternatively, it’s trying to scare you
It’s really common for phishing emails to have been written to frighten the recipient into taking action without thinking. If it’s trying to scare you with security threats or closing accounts, be aware that it’s probably a phishing scam. As previously discussed, if you’re still feeling concerned, contact who it’s claiming to be from directly, but don’t reply to the email or follow any links in it.
Stop phishing scams from reaching your inbox at all with an effective anti-spam software like MailCleaner. MailCleaner is an anti-spam gateway installed between your mail infrastructure and the internet that can offer you professional protection against scams by eliminating up to 99% of spam. Get in touch to find out more about how we can protect your business from phishing scams.