Phishing Scams and How to Avoid Them

It seems like everybody online is out to get you, and when everybody is a click of a button away, phishing scams have never been a greater danger to unaware victims.

Phishing is the act of deceiving a user into disclosing their personal information. While it may seem difficult to just give away your credit card information to a stranger that you can’t even see, but phishing scams are effective because the scammers may appear as a someone you may know.

Attacks can be relentless and compile personal information about you and the people around you. According to SecurityWeek.com, this is considered Spear Phishing. For example, a hacker can see a Facebook post by your uncle with cancer, and because your uncle didn’t set his profile to be private to only his family and friends, the hacker can then use this information against you. The hacker could also use a data from the 2013 Target hack to have access to your personal contacts and buying habits. The attack could be a phone call asking you to donate to Target’s Cancer Research Fund or an email from an imposter aunt asking for small donation.

There are many different ways a hacker can contact you, and with the availability of public data, there are a few critical ways to avoid phishing scams.

Remember this! Use the technology around you. Keep your browser up to date. There is a continuous fight between hackers and computer programmers to protect your information. As hackers find new ways to exploit how everyday people use computers, trained computer programmers are releasing new versions of the software you use frequently.

Chrome users, update your browser here.

Internet Explorer users, update your browser here.

Safari users, update your browser here.

To protect your overall computer, use antivirus software. Built inside Windows 10 is Windows Defender. Here you can optimize your settings to prevent malicious files, provide firewall protection, and set other forms of protection against phishing. In most cases most Windows or Mac computers come with the necessary protection to prevent any signs of phishing, so additional anti-virus software such as McAfee or AVG are unnecessary.

While having the appropriate technology will help prevent phishing scams, you are ultimately responsible for your actions online and over the phone. According to the popular phishing blog, KnowBe4.com, social media poses a new threat which have a wide range of targets. Now that many social media platforms allow financial transactions and carry more information about us than ever, more hackers are putting their efforts to looking at new ways of hacking people’s information.

By following the tips provided above, you will significantly halt most phishing attacks. Be conscious of your actions in the digital world and browse safely!