Don’t Take the Bait: How to Recognize Phishing Scams
In a phishing scam, criminals use emails, text messages, or phone calls to try and trick you into providing personal and financial information. With sophisticated automation and artificial intelligence, these scams have become so widespread that they may seem overwhelming, and it’s more important than ever to remain vigilant.
In general, phishers want you to click on a link or provide information directly. They may say they’ve noticed suspicious activity or log-in attempts on an account, claim there’s a problem with the account or payment information, say you need to confirm personal or financial information, or tell you there’s a problem with a shipment. They might include a fake invoice and/or ask you to click a link to make a payment or obtain further information. Or they could say you are eligible for a refund or offer a coupon or something for free.
The most obvious way to identify a scam is if you don’t recognize the account, invoice, shipment, or other information. But scammers also use more generic pitches, and they may have enough partial information that the message seems plausible. Here are some tips.
Check the real email address. Scammers can make the address appear to be from a legitimate retailer, shipping company, financial institution, or government agency. The way to check for the real email address varies with your email application.
Inspect the logo and layout. Spam emails often have a low-resolution version of the logo of the organization they are pretending to represent. Even without a logo, the layout of the email and the name or title of the person who supposedly sent it may be obviously fraudulent.
Look at the spelling and grammar. Many scams originate in foreign countries and are written in poor English. Artificial intelligence has made it easier for foreign scammers to clean up their English, but if something feels “off” in the way an email or text is written, it’s likely a scam.
Don’t text back. Text scams may be simple messages like: I’ve been thinking about you. Or I’m back in town and want to get together. It may be tempting to reply and ask, Who is this? But never text back to someone you don’t know.
Don’t call back. Phone scammers typically leave a number for you to call. Don’t call it. It is possible that a bank or credit card company could call about a real security breach. If you think that might be the case, call the number on your credit card or on the bank’s website.
• Never provide personal or financial information unless you absolutely know that the situation and need for the information are legitimate.
• Never send money unless you have initiated
a purchase or know for certain that you owe a
balance on a legitimate bill.
• If a situation feels wrong or too good to be true,
it probably is.