Phishing is a type of cybercrime where the attacker pretends to be a legitimate business or person in order to gain access to confidential information like passwords or credit card numbers. To avoid becoming a victim of phishing attacks, there are several steps that you can take:
- Be suspicious: Be wary of unexpected emails, even if they appear to come from a legitimate source. If an email seems suspicious, consider the context of the message carefully.
- Research the sender: Check to make sure the sender is a legitimate business or person, and that the message is consistent with what would be expected from them.
- Check the link: If the email contains any links, mouse-over the link and inspect it to make sure it is going to a legitimate website.
- Be cautious of attachments: Emails from unknown or suspicious sources often come with malicious attachments. If you’re not expecting an attachment, don’t open it.
- Provide personal information wisely: A legitimate business will never ask for personal information via email. Instead, contact them directly to confirm that the request is legitimate.