At some point in life, we have
all received an email with one of the following titles: debts with banks,
inappropriate use and cancellation of our social media accounts and / or
stores, you have received an invoice that you must pay, clarification of your tax
return.
Now, what would be your immediate
reaction if you receive one of these emails and you are a customer or have an
account in X or Y, bank or social network? Do you open it? Do you click on the
link? Do you download the document?
5 Ways to Identify If You Are About To Be A Victim of PHISHING
The first thing you should know
is that no bank or government institution will ask you to download a document
that you have not previously requested and will not ask you to enter your
account information on a website other than the official one. So it is probably
a phishing email.
What Is Phishing?
It is a growing form of fraud
that tries to trick Internet users into revealing private information by
copying a legitimate website.
The email message instructs the
user to log into the site and confirm some account information. The attacker or
fraudster receives the data provided by the user, such as the login name,
password, credit card number or social security number. This type of fraud is fast,
cheap and very easy to carry out. It is also potentially very lucrative for
criminals who practice it.
The phishing is difficult to
detect, even for advanced computer users, and it is difficult to pursue by the
competent authorities. And, what is worse, it is practically impossible to
judge legally. The first time this term was used was on January 2, 1996, so it
seems incredible that 22 years later this type of attack is still used and is
still an effective method to steal personal information.
But why is it still effective?
This type of attack bases its
effectiveness on social engineering, that is, using things with which the user
can relate and provoke curiosity to see the content of the email either for
fear of some sanction or cancellation, take advantage of a very attractive
offer or view a video of your interest. The foregoing ensuring that the user is
forced to perform some type of action after receiving said email.
What Can We Do To Identify These Types Of Emails?
1. Check the email address
Attackers often use the name of
an original website to create fraudulent email addresses with which they
mislead their recipients. They can also pose as your friends or co-workers. If
you are not sure who is sending you the email, be suspicious. And remember
never to give personal keys or passwords through e-mail.
2. Check the web address to which the email directs you
Fraudulent emails often include a
web address (URL) that mimics the website of the company the attackers are posing
as.
Cloning is very subtle: it can be
an almost identical letter change but with a changed letter or an http without
the final "s", which indicates the security certificate.
Sometimes a simple change from
lowercase to uppercase (or vice versa) can be enough. And that false address
usually directs the user to a fraudulent page. Also notice the visual part: is
that really the logo of the company? The typography? Check it! And always a best antivirus software
that fill fight against odd that may have entered in your device when you
clicked on some wrong link.
3. Do not overlook the misspellings and writing of the mail
A serious company generally does
not make spelling mistakes or grammatical errors in their emails.
4. Lack of personalization of emails.
The banking institution or
website usually sends you emails with your full name or information you have
provided, the attackers do not have this information and therefore they usually
send emails without personalization and it is very common for you to see emails
such as "Dear Customer", " Dear User "etc. This should be a
very good sign to suspect that it is possibly a fake email.
5. Contact the institution directly
If you have any questions about
the emails you receive from a certain company and / or institution, contact
directly by phone or through the means presented by the official site to
clarify if they sent you this information.
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