Internet Safety

What is phishing:  

A hacker sends thousands of fraudulent emails, hoping a few will click on attached links, pictures or documents, this enables them to capture sensitive information or install malicious software. Most of the time the emails appear to come from valid or known sources.

Here are some things to look for:

Sender name or known company brand

• • Always check who the email is coming from .  You can do this by clicking the small down arrow next to the sender’s name.  Look for the EXACT domain name of the company as part of the email address.

Impersonal message greeting

• • The greeting may appear very general, non-personal

Grammatical errors

• • Very often malicious emails contain one or more obvious grammatical errors.  Although this is less common in the age of AI generated phishing.

May contain scare tactics

• • Look out for words that say things like “past due” or “pay now”.  Phishing Attacks almost always containg a call to action.  You should always check the sender and evaluate the email source BEFORE clicking on ANY link.

Request for sensitive information

• • Watch for statements asking for items like bank account info or social security digits.  ALWAYS go to the institutions (Bank, Insurance Company, etc.) own website for ANY request for PII (Personal Identifiable Information).

Malicious attachments/downloads

• • Do not click on attachments when you are unsure of why someone was sending something to you.  These items may contain items that can search your computer or capture what you are typing.  

Spoofed links and websites

• • Do not click on links to websites when you are not expecting something from the sender.  If you hover over a link, you can view the actual URL web address in the bottom left corner of the browser window.  URLs should ALWAYS contain the institution or companies ACTUAL address.