Sitting down to write this month’s column, I’m looking back over the past few weeks -- and EVERY DAY, I’ve either received or had a client forward me a “phishing” email. As you may already know, a phishing e-mail is a bogus e-mail that is carefully designed to look like a legitimate request (or attached file) from a person or site you likely know and trust. This is done to get you to willingly give up your login information to a particular website or to click and download a virus.
Often these e-mails look 100% legitimate and show up in the form of a PDF to click on, or a UPS or FedEx tracking number link, a bank letter or notification, a Facebook alert, etc. That’s what makes these so dangerous – they LOOK like a legitimate e-mail. When phishing started, the phishers often weren’t very sophisticated – and with a wary eye, a phish email was often obvious. Now, many phish emails look EXACTLY like the real thing. So, how can you tell a phishing e-mail from a legitimate one?
Here are a few telltale signs…
First, hover over the URL or link in the e-mail (but DON’T CLICK!) to see the ACTUAL website you’ll be directed to. If there’s a mismatched or suspicious URL (amercanexpress.com, rather than americanexpress.com for example), it’s best to just delete the e-mail immediately. In fact, it’s a good practice to just go to the site directly (typing it into your browser) rather than clicking on the link to get to a site.
Another telltale sign is poor grammar and spelling errors. Another warning sign is that the e-mail is asking you to “verify” or “validate” your login or asking for personal information. Why would your bank need you to verify your account number? They should already have that information. And finally, if the offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.
If you’re concerned about your business’ email and cyber security, Contact us today. We’ve seen all the bait that the phishers use and can help keep you from getting hooked.
