Phishing scams come in different forms. They do not just use different online methods like pop up ads and fake emails but could also include phone calls. The individuals behind such scams tend to employ fear tactics to force their victims to take the bait.
Phishing can be considered as an online con game. Phishers, or people who run this scam, are tech savvy identity thieves and con artists. They use malicious websites, spam, instant messages, and email messages to trick individuals into giving out sensitive information. Credit card accounts, banking information, passwords, and usernames are just a few of the details that phishers are looking to exploit.
5 Common Phishing Scams and How To Avoid Them
Phishing scams are made to appear as though they come from dependable sources, it’s smart to know the difference between fraudulent and real messages and how to identify a few clues that the message could be a scam. Here’s a list of the five type of phishing scams and how you can avoid them.
Email Phishing Scams
Email phishing scams are fraudulent emails that look like a company or person that’s known to the victim. It tries to illegally accumulate personal or/and financial details from the recipient.
A phishing Florence SC message generally includes at least a single link to a fraudulent website, which is designed to replicate the website of a legitimate business. The message encourages the recipient to give out information that could be used for online financial theft or identity fraud.
Avoiding email phishing scams
- Don’t download attachments or click on links from an unfamiliar email.
- Pay attention and always be vigilant.
- Double check the URL for misspelled web address.
Vishing Scams
Voice or VOIP phishing is just like email phishing but scam involves voice, instead. It’s a phone scam wherein a person is scared or tricked into giving out personal information or valuable financial details to scammers.
Avoiding vishing scams
- Don’t give personal or any confidential information over the phone.
- Don’t call the number the caller provides. Instead, check the company website and make sure that they are running a legitimate business.
- Watch out for misspellings or other red flags.
Tech Support Cold Scams
Scammers call their targets and pretend to be from a well known security company. They will lie and tell you that they detected malware on your computer. They will pretend to give you a solution by asking you to allow them to install a certain kind of remote desktop software. This will let the attacker gain access to your computer to install real malware. Apart from trying to install software on the computer, they will also ask for a fee for the repair service.
Avoiding tech support call scams
- Look up the number of the company that the tech support agent is claiming to be working for.
- Don’t allow remote access to your computer.
Popup Warning Scams
Popups come up when someone is browsing the web and notices a small ad or graphic appear on their screen. Generally, these popups are related to the content that you are viewing and link to a different website with a similar merchandise or content that is related to the content.
Malicious popups could be intrusive, which will make it hard for you to close the ad or graphic. They might show a message that states that the computer is infected with malware and provide a phone number for help with getting rid of the malware. Generally, the cybercriminals create popups appear like they originate from a reliable source in hopes that they will look like a legitimate company.
Avoiding popup scams
- Check the message closely.
- Don’t click on the pop-up.
Fake Search Results Scams
Fraudulent firms tend to use paid search ads for what they refer to as support services to make it look like they are a legitimate and reputable company. These listings may appear on top of a search results page, which is a prime location. The results look like it’s real and they will promise to provide support and deals that are too good to be true. This is one of the common ways they use to trick people into allowing them to “fix” their computer. But when you click on the ad, you end up downloading a malware to your device, which will compromise your computer security.
Avoiding fake search result scams
- Check the url closely.
- Use a secure search service.
What to do if you have been scammed?
If you think that you have been a victim of a phishing scam, here are the things you can do:
- Change the passwords of your accounts.
- Scan for viruses on your computer by running a full system scan.
- Call your bank and report that you may have been a victim of a phishing scam.
- Use a reliable anti-virus program.
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