Cyber Security Awareness Month may be coming to an end, but with cybercrime on the rise, it’s important to stay alert year-round. Here are three simple tips to avoid phishing scams and keep your information safe online. Remember, scams are online messages designed to look like they’re from a trusted source. We may open what we think is a safe email, attachment, or image, only to find ourselves exposed to malware or a scammer seeking our personal data. The good news is that we can take precautions to protect our important information. Learn to recognize the signs and report phishing attempts to safeguard your devices and data.
1. Recognize the Common Signs
- Urgent or emotionally appealing language
- Requests for personal or financial information
- Unexpected attachments
- Untrusted shortened URLs
- Email addresses that do not match the supposed sender
- Poor writing or misspellings (less common)
2. Resist and Report
Report suspicious messages using the “report spam” feature. If the message appears to come from an organization you trust, report it by alerting the organization using the contact information found on their website.
3. Delete the Message
Don’t reply to or click on any attachment or link, including any “unsubscribe” link. The unsubscribe button could also lead to phishing attempts. Just delete it.
Things to Keep in Mind
If a message looks suspicious, it’s probably a phishing attempt. Even if there’s a chance it could be legitimate, don’t click any links, attachments, or call any numbers. Look for another way to contact the company or person directly. Visit the company’s website to find their contact information or call the individual at a known number to confirm whether they sent the message.
For more information and resources on fraud security, visit https://www.kitsapcu.org/personal/services-security/.
