Phishing is a type of online scam in which the scammer would target the consumers by sending them an email which appears to be from a well-known source such as an internet service provider or a bank or even a mortgage company. It asks the consumer to provide personal identifying information. Then the scammer uses that information to open new accounts, or invade the consumer’s existing accounts. I am assuming that nobody would like to fall prey to a phishing scam however unfortunately these scams only seem to be increasing in numbers these days. EzChargeback tells us how these scams are so successful in the present day that cybercriminals can easily make massive profits through it.
How To Protect Yourself From It?
Like any other scam, Phishing scam also have many preventative measures which can be taken to protect yourself from such scams as discussed below:
Stay Updated About The Latest Phishing Techniques
As EzChargeback helped us understand the benefit that phishing scams can bring to these scammers, it is no shock that new phishing scams are being developed all the time too. If you are not aware of these new phishing techniques, the chances of you falling for one definitely increases.
Do not Click Suspicious Links!
You can click on links when you are on trusted sites. However, clicking on links that appear in random emails and instant messages is not a smart decision. The phishing email can pretend to be from a legitimate company, and when you click on the link to the website, it can look exactly like the real website. The email may ask you to fill out information, but the email may not contain your name. Most phishing emails begin with Dear Customer, so you should be wary of these. When in doubt, go straight to the source instead of clicking on a potentially dangerous link.
Install an Anti-Phishing Toolbar
Most popular Internet browsers can be customized with anti-phishing toolbars which run quick checks on the sites that you are visiting and compare them to lists of known phishing sites. If you stumble upon a malicious site the toolbar will alert you about it thanks to the Anti-Phishing properties of it.This simply acts as one more layer of protection against phishing scams.
Verify a Site’s Security
It is natural to provide sensitive financial information online as long as you’re on a secure site, you shouldn’t have any problems. Before submitting information you should always make sure that the website URL begins with https and also make sure that it has a closed padlock icon near the address bar. Also check the site’s security certificate. If you receive a message that a certain website may contain malicious files, do not open the website. Never download files from suspicious emails or websites. If a user makes a purchase on such a site, this would help cybercriminals gain access to the credit card details as well.
Use Firewalls
High-quality firewalls would act as buffers between you, your system and external intruders. You should use two different kinds: a desktop firewall and a network firewall. The first option is a type of software, and the second option is a type of hardware. When used together, they drastically reduce the odds of hackers and phishers infiltrating your computer or your network. You should also be vary of pop-ups as they are phishing attempts as well.
Never Give Out Personal Information
As EzChargeback stresses upon this general rule that you should never share personal or financially sensitive information over the Internet. When in doubt you should always go visit the main website of the company in question and search for a way to contact them for example get their number and give them a call. This would help eliminate all doubts. Most of the phishing emails will direct you to pages where entries for financial or personal information are required. An Internet user should never make confidential entries through the links provided
In the emails.
Use Antivirus Software
There are a number of reasons to use antivirus software and it is also important to make sure to keep your software up to date. Anti-spyware and firewall settings should be used to prevent phishing attacks and users should update the programs regularly. Firewall protection helps in preventing access to malicious files by blocking the attacks. As antivirus software would scan every file that comes through the Internet into your system it would help prevent damage to your system.
Despite all these efforts, EzChargeback helps us understand that there is no preventative measure which guarantee you that you will 100% be protected from these phishing scams so you should always be careful when you are using the
