The holiday season is a boom for hackers, phishers and scammers. Phishing is a form of fraud in which the attacker tries to learn information such as login credentials or account information by masquerading as a reputable entity or person in email, IM or other communication channels. One of the most common ways to send malicious software to your computer or steal account information is through email. You should be wary of emails that are from unknown sources or that you were not expecting. Never open an attachment from these sources.
A safe way to look at emails that are in question is to drag them to your junk email folder which disables links and attachments and allows you to read the content of the actual email safely.
You should also be wary of emails that do the following:
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An example of a phishing email, disguised as an official email from a fictional bank. Promote amazing deals on the hottest gifts. If it looks too good to be true, it is!
- State that you need to confirm your credit card number on an online order.
- Ask for any personal or banking information – no reputable company will ever ask you to email personal information.
- Encourage you to follow a link to a login page to verify your account or fix a problem. Even if the URL looks real, it could be disguised that way. Hover over the link and look in the lower left corner of your screen to see the real URL. If you think it is legitimate, go directly to the company’s website and log in from there, or call the company.
- Appear to be real messages from your bank or credit card company. Go directly to the website you use for online account management or contact them by phone.
You should monitor the statements for your bank accounts and credit cards closely, and contact your credit card company if you see unknown charges on your account.
If you know that you have received a phishing email, contact the company that the email is pretending to be from to bring their attention to the scam.
If shopping online, shop only with reputable companies and avoid shopping on unsecured Wi-Fi. It may be convenient, but you might as well put your credit card number on a billboard.
The new chips in credit cards can be scanned from several feet away. RFID blocking wallets or card sleeves can help to protect your information.
Stay on the lookout this season to secure your money and your identity!