No one likes to admit they’ve taken the bait and fallen victim to a phishing attack, but it happens more than people think. Most of these attacks happen via email, but they can occur via text message or even a phone call. An unsavory person can exploit your personal data with any number of enticing messages such as winning a prize or impersonating a government official who is threatening to put you behind bars unless you pay a delinquent tax bill. These characters can impersonate your bank, a social media account, a coworker, or even a friend or relative.
Remember:
- If something seems too good to be true it usually is — caution and skepticism should be the order of the day.
- If someone asks for personal information over the phone, email or text, the safe bet is to stop and delete the message or hangup.
- The best advice is to pause, process the request in your mind, and never react out of fear or intimidation.
- Common sense is your best friend.
Never:
- Respond to ANY request for personal information. Reputable institutions will not ask you to disclose that information. If they insist, call the institution they represent and double check the validity of such a request.
- Enter your username and/or password when clicking on an email attachment or text message.
- Enter your social security number, bank account info, PIN, credit card number or other financial related information.
- Enter any information that a social engineer can use to impersonate your identity such as birthdate, mother’s maiden name, first pet, etc.
Always:
- Check the spelling of a link that was sent — there could be a small but noticeable typo in the website address which gives it away as a fake site.
- Check the email address, what appears to be a coworker, friend or relative may show their actual name, but the email address is obviously wrong.
- Hover over a link and see if it will indeed take you to the site they reference.
Once again remember:
- Any reputable website will NEVER ask for personal information.
- Any person purporting to work for your bank, credit card company or a government agency will never require or demand that you supply them with personal information. If they do, call them back on a number that you know to be legitimate and safe.
What can CogentDigital do to help your organization become more aware of phishing schemes?
- We can implement training to your employees empowering them to be more aware of the typical schemes employed.
- We can implement advanced security practices to catch suspected phishing emails before they enter your system.
- We can deploy AI driven software solutions that constantly monitor your environment and terminate any suspicious activity before it takes hold.
Call us so we can discuss protecting your assets, your staff, your customers and clientele. Let us protect you and your reputation!
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Insight Publications, a division of Woodward Communications, Inc.
