Don’t Fall for These Common Phishing Scams: What You Must Know

Phishing attacks have been on the rise and are used more by bad actors than malware and ransomware. According to Cisco’s 2021 Cybersecurity Threat Trends Report, they comprise over 90% of the entire data breach category. 

It’s safe to say that phishing is not staying behind, either — it’s advancing with the trends and the technology, affecting more and more users daily. Unless you are trained to recognize and avoid it, it will impact you, too. In this article, we will unpack what phishing is and the most common phishing scams.

What Is Phishing?

Imagine you are texting your friend from high school. They send you a link to something seemingly important. The next thing you know, all your accounts are hacked, and someone behind it is sharing spam with everyone you are connected to. 

That’s precisely how phishing works. This type of cyber attack aims to steal sensitive information from victims, either by chatting and pretending to be someone else or by sending suspicious links and files. Phishing and malware often go hand in hand — these two are used to prevent the victim from restoring access to their accounts and gadgets. 

Learning more about cybersecurity practices and adopting specialized tools are the two best tactics to battle phishing. For instance, you can use a VPN for Android, iOS, or a desktop OS to secure your online connections and protect sensitive information from cybercriminals. Since your connection will be encrypted, they won’t be able to intercept it. 

Types of Phishing

Let’s understand the main types of phishing used by bad actors and how we can identify them.

Email Phishing

Phishing emails are the most prevalent among all scams. It is also the oldest one. Most of the time, the attacker will pretend to be a trustworthy party, such as a popular movie streaming platform or even a bank. They will copy the original email as closely as possible and include a malicious link in the letter. Once you click on it, you will most likely download malware or be asked to fill in your personal information. Both options let the attacker collect your details.

When dealing with suspicious emails, always check the sender’s email address. Go to the official website and see if it matches the original. Do not respond to seemingly urgent requests, and do not click on odd links. If you see typos or spelling mistakes, the letter is definitely a scam.

Spear Phishing

In case you are a part of a big organization, some criminals can use spear phishing against you. They utilize open-source intelligence (OSINT) and collect information available online to attack the whole department or the entire company. In that scenario, they send emails pretending to be a part of the team to collect even more personal data. 

To spot spear phishing, stay aware of odd requests from coworkers who are not authorized to receive such information. When such a request comes in, message the individual via a different communication channel to confirm their identity. Additionally, do not download or open documents or links you haven’t asked for. As a part of the company, you should already have access to all shared drives and documents you need, so there shouldn’t be any new incoming without previous notice. 

Social Media Phishing

Email phishing has always been common, but social media scams are only growing in popularity among cybercriminals. Since there is a lot of personal information already displayed on social media profiles, it has become increasingly easier to scam someone by utilizing social engineering attacks. But how can you understand that you are being scammed? 

Similarly to email phishing, bad actors will send you malicious links to fraudulent websites. They will try to steal data through fake forms or malware. In other cases, scammers might try to pose as your friend or even try to befriend you. Then, they will complain about an urgent issue and pressure you into sending them money. So, even if you receive a link or a file from a friend, do not open it before verifying that it’s really them messaging you.

Website Spoofing

Some scammers create entire websites designed for data theft. They often mimic a popular website, including its original logos, fonts, colors, and functions. Financial services and social media websites are spoofed the most often because they contain a lot of personal details.

Spoofed websites often have odd URLs. For example, they will be almost identical to the original, but have “m” switched to “rn”. Some webpages will show up as errors — most scammers can’t copy the original perfectly. Visited a fake website? Leave it immediately and change all your passwords.

Protect Yourself From Phishing 

Although phishing is extremely common, learning more about typical tactics and using security software can protect your information from theft. Now, you know about email phishing, spear phishing, social media scams, and website spoofing, and how to spot them.