Via Oregon - September/October 2021 - 16

SMART LIFE
MONEY
How to
detect a
phishing
scam
Look for these red flags when
you receive an unexpected
text or email message.
The number one type of online scam
in 2020 should come as no surprise:
According to the FBI's Internet
Crime Complaint Center, phishing
remains by far the internet's most
prevalent threat. In the United
States, people lost more than $54
million to the scam last year.
Phony emails and texts try to lure
you into clicking through to a malicious
website that's designed to
trick you into entering passwords
and financial information: That's
phishing-and it's getting worse,
exacerbated by the pandemic and
by the fact that it's such a simple
type of attack to pull off.
Phishers are also getting better at
their trade, which means that consumers
need to raise their level of
vigilance. Here are six tips to help
you avoid becoming a victim of a
phishing attack.
16 VIA | SEPTEMBER+OCTOBER 2021
1
Assume everything is a scam.
Sadly, we're at the point where
the smart move is to assume any
message you receive involving
money or account credentials, or
that requests you to take any sort of
action, is completely bogus-especially
if time sensitivity is involved.
" If the email or text is calling for the
recipient to take urgent action or
else experience a negative consequence,
it is likely a phishing scam, "
says Tom Kirkham, CEO of Iron
Tech Security. " Legitimate companies
will never send emails or texts
threatening customers with an
adverse action if something isn't
done quickly. "
It's a cruel irony that scammers
commonly prey on consumers' fears
that they are vulnerable to an attack
or are already being taken advantage
of (for instance: " Your account
RAWPIXEL.COM / SHUTTERSTOCK
http://www.RAWPIXEL.COM
Via Oregon - September/October 2021

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