Phishing scams are as old as email itself.
Phishing scams are as old as email itself. You may be thinking that hackers and cybercriminals would have gotten a little more creative since then, but no. Do you know why? Because all these years later, phishing emails still work. Unfortunately, people still click on them every day. Plenty of phishing emails are glaringly obvious, but some of them aren’t and those are the ones that are the real problem. Here are some tips for spotting a phishing email in your inbox!
Look Closely at the URL
One of the first indicators of a phishing email is an inauthentic URL. It is quite simple to type out a URL that looks perfectly fine but insert a hyperlink to somewhere totally wrong. In many email programs, all you need to do is hover your mouse over the suspicious link. DO NOT click. Just move your cursor so it’s on top of the text. A little window should pop up telling you where the link will take you. If something seems a bit off about the URL, don’t click on it. If you’re at work, tell your systems administrator or managed services provider right away. If you’re at home, you may want to call the company to alert them that someone is trying to impersonate them.
Spelling and Grammar Mistakes
Another glaring indicator of a phishing scam is an email with spelling or grammar mistakes. Before a real company sends out an email, they will, at the very least, run a basic spell-check. Generally speaking, an email from a company will be fully edited with no mistakes. Such mistakes are highly unprofessional and therefore unlikely.
Trust Your Instincts
If everything appears to be fine but you’re still skeptical, trust your instincts. There’s no such thing as “too cautious” when it comes to cybersecurity. So, if you ever get an email that you think looks suspicious, research before you click!
IT Solutions and Network Protection from Global Harvest Networks
Global Harvest Networks has been working for the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia areas since 2000 and we’re ready to lend our expertise to you! We offer a wide range of IT solutions that can tackle any and all of your network’s needs. Please don’t hesitate to contact us so that we can help you! You can also give us a call at 410-691-1130. We’re ready to assess your system, diagnose the problem, and help you find a plan that will strengthen your network, all free of charge! For more information on the latest things you should protect your system from, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and YouTube.