What is Phishing, and Why You Should Be Aware of It

Phishing is a social engineering cyberattack that involves posing as a trustworthy source to gain sensitive information from unsuspecting users.

Users are deceived through emails, websites, or other digital channels, and given the impression that they’re giving their confidential data to a trustworthy source.

As you grow your business, you will likely begin receiving emails from potential partners or customers. While many of these emails may appear legitimate, some of them could be phishing scams.

So how do you know if an email is trustworthy or not?

Keep reading to learn more about phishing and how you can protect your business as it grows.

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What is phishing?

Phishing is a form of social engineering in which a scammer tries to trick you into giving up your login information, credit card details, or other sensitive information.

Phishing emails often appear to be from a legitimate source, like your bank, a government agency, or a business you do regular business with.

You might receive an email that appears to be from your bank or credit card company, asking you to verify some information, like your login or credit card number.

You might receive an email from what appears to be the IRS asking you to pay taxes you supposedly owe.

You might receive an email from what appears to be your employer, requesting you to click a link and update your personal information.

Why is phishing becoming more popular?

As our society becomes increasingly connected and more and more aspects of daily life become digital, the threat of phishing scams is also on the rise.

Businesses, banks, government agencies, and other organizations often use emails, websites, and other digital communication tools to reach out to the public, and scammers often use these same channels to trick unsuspecting users into giving up their sensitive information.

How to spot a phishing scam

When you receive an email from a source you’re not familiar with, it’s a good idea to check it against a checklist of things that could indicate it’s a phishing scam.

Here are a few items to consider:

• Source. Is the sender an organization you recognize? If not, it’s possible the email may be a phishing attempt.
• Urgency. If an email appears to be urgent, it could be an attempt to get you to act impulsively, without thinking through the situation carefully.
• Targeted. If the email appears to be directly targeted to you and your circumstances, it could be an attempt to get you to act quickly and provide sensitive information.
• Request. If the email is asking you to provide your personal data or other sensitive information, it could be an attempt to trick you into providing information to a scammer.
• Extra links. If the email has a link you don’t expect, it could be an attempt to trick you into clicking on a link that takes you to a malicious site.
• Grammar/spelling or incorrect information. If the email has incorrect grammar or poor spelling, please be aware that legitimate institutions will never send incorrect information to their clients and customers, it might as well be an attempt to trick you.

What to do if you’ve been phished

If you think you’ve been the victim of a phishing scam, report it to your bank or another relevant contact. If you provided your credit card information or other sensitive data to the scammer, you can also make a fraud complaint with your credit card company, bank, or other relevant organization.

While you may feel embarrassed or silly for falling for a phishing scam, you’re certainly not alone. Scammers often rely on human error and impulsiveness to trick their victims into providing sensitive information. B

y taking a few extra moments to be sure you know the source of an email, you can better protect yourself and your money.

Bottom line

Phishing attempts are on the rise, and it’s important to know the signs that an email may be a phishing scam.

By checking the source of the email, the urgency of the situation, and the links or other information in the email, you can better protect yourself from falling victim to a phishing scam attempt.

If you ever feel unsure about the legitimacy of an email you receive, don’t hesitate to contact the source of the email directly to confirm it’s legitimate.

It’s better to be safe than sorry, and the sooner you catch a phishing scam, the sooner you can put it behind you and get back to doing business as usual!