How to Avoid Falling Prey to Phishing Scams

How to Avoid Falling Prey to Phishing Scams

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Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the daily average number of phishing and social engineering attacks was around 20,000 per day. We're now seeing those numbers rising above 30,000 attacks each day.

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Why have the number of phishing scams increased? More people are working remotely which means more online distractions. Cybercriminals know this and use these malicious phishing and social engineering attempts to lure users into giving away information or funds.

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Don't expect these numbers to lower any time soon (or ever!), email phishing is one of the most widely used and effective methods for cybercriminals worldwide with 91% of all breaches stemming from a malicious email. It only takes one wrong click for a cybercriminal to either steal your information or enter your systems.

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Here are 5 signs of a potentially malicious email:

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1. Spelling and grammar errors

Does the email have a strange message with grammar or spelling errors? This could indicate a potentially malicious phishing attempt by a cybercriminal who does not speak english fluently.

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2. Requests personal information, or takes you to a login page

Financial institutions, governments, and other organizations should not be requesting your personal information as an email reply, this is a red flag. If the email takes you to a login page, ensure it is the actual legitimate site. If you're unsure, look up the organization in your search engine and go directly to their website that way.

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3. Has high urgency message or threats

Is the email sending you a threat or an urgent request for action on your part? This is a major indicator of a phishing scam. Always take some time to think before acting on an urgent or threatening email. This is where many people will panic and give out sensitive information without thinking about the potential implications of a malicious actor.

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4. Fake web links or addresses

Many of the links attached to suspicious emails will either take the user into a false login page where they will collect your credentials. Other times the link will automatically download malware into a user's system.

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5. Too good to be true

If you're receiving supposed prizes or gifts from unknown sources telling you that you've won some sort of contest or deal, it's likely a phishing scam. The cybercriminal will hope to capture your attention and get you to enter some personal information in exchange for a 'prize'.

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What Else Can You Do?

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With Cyber Unit's next-level email security you won't have to worry about detecting phishing scams yourself. We monitor all incoming emails for potentially malicious links and attachments. If we find anything even remotely suspicious, you'll be the first to know.

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Some of the incoming malicious emails will be blocked completely, while others will show up still in your inbox with a notification stating that there may be malicious phishing content within the message.

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We also provide monthly reporting which will allow our clients to see exactly how many incoming phishing emails they were able to divert.

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What are you waiting for? Click HERE to sign up now!

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