The phishing scam is the most common online criminal activity. Criminals use a variety of techniques to get people to reveal their personal information, and then send them an email asking for that information. This is called ‘phishing’ because it looks like a legitimate website or message from a person or company you know and trust, but the site is fake and designed to steal your personal information.
Phishing scams are becoming more sophisticated as criminals learn how to take advantage of new technologies, like smart phones with apps that can simulate the look of a real website using photos and graphics.
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Phishing email scams are more effective than you might think
Despite how long phishing emails have been around and training employees on phishing emails, they are still one of the top threats to companies.
Keep in mind that phishing emails are becoming more sophisticated and therefore more difficult to detect. Many employees fall victim to phishing email scams, resulting in potential data breaches and loss of important information.
What is a phishing scam?
Phishing is a form of Internet-based social engineering. Cybercriminals use legitimate businesses and situations to email and convince their victims to provide their personal information, such as social security numbers.
Some phishing emails require the victim to click on a link, which introduces malware to the user's device. The malware can then grant the attacker access, leaving them free to steal sensitive data. Other emails will say that an item you purchased online could not be shipped because the credit card number was incorrect, or the billing address was incorrect, etc. Then they ask you to update by clicking on a spoofed website link. Payment/Shipping Information.
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Why do phishing email scams work?
With all the online scams happening, you'd think we'd be wary of phishing email scams. Still, such scams account for a lot of lost data in companies.
We are confident
We want to believe that the people emailing us are genuine. It is human nature to want to believe others, especially those who reach out to us. Unfortunately, social engineers take advantage of this and use it to steal from companies.
Good phishing emails look official
Some emails can recreate a company logo and make the email look believable. Just like a social engineer looks in person like they belong to your company, phishing emails look like they're part of the company contacting you.
They are victims of our fear
If we are afraid, we do not act rationally. Some phishing emails take advantage of this, using scare tactics to force us to make emotional decisions. For example, you may receive an email saying that your personal banking information has been breached, and you need to click a link to log in and change your online banking password. Attacker banking (pun intended) whether you want to quickly protect yourself or check your online balance to make sure you still have money after a "breach".
Email scam detection
Email scammers use various techniques to bypass email defenses and trick users into revealing/stealing information or running malicious code.
Some types of scam emails contain a link to an attacker-controlled malicious website, and clicking on this link can lead to danger. Because where the attacker collects sensitive data from the victims.
When one method of stealing or corrupting data stops working, attackers often modify their methods to improve the number of targeted users affected by their email scams and implement new methods.
Red signs of an email scammer:
Demands that you must log in to a website or your account will be terminated. This trick contains a link to an attacker-controlled website.
The email claims that your payment information is invalid, so you must log into your account and change this information to keep the account active.
Tells you that the personal information is incorrect, and it must be sent to the attacker using a reply message or to a website
Encloses an invoice for payment.
Expresses a sense of urgency or privacy.
Claims you can get a government refund and asks for sensitive data like social security numbers.
You must submit personal data to receive free products, coupons or money.
Examples of email scams
Common users should keep in mind that attackers have dozens of common tactics. If you have a free email solution like Gmail and use your email address in contact forms across the Internet, chances are you have scam emails in your spam inbox.
This is because attackers can send thousands of email scams to create massive fraud. And in this model, the more emails sent, the greater the opportunity to deceive numerous targeted users.
Other attackers may also take a more targeted approach, carefully selecting a recipient with the right access to data, systems or resources. The attacker researches the victim online and always tries to make the emails as personal and believable as possible.
In some cases, the attacker has already compromised a legitimate email account and has access to previous email conversations, calendars, and contacts – serving as ammunition for a very convincing impersonation.
Below is a picture of an example of an email scam:
The image above is a message (sent to Gmail's spam inbox) sent by an attacker, using FedEx to trick a targeted user into sending personal data. Attackers use this type of message because someone is always waiting for a FedEx package. If the message is sent to thousands of recipients, it may fool many of them.
Email spoofing is common in scams, but the sender's email address in the image above is from a public domain not associated with FedEx. The email does not provide a contact number but contains a single link that points to a malicious web page
Another giveaway in this email scam example is that the email does not address the recipient by name or contain any personal information held by an account seller. The email is generic with the recipient's email address used only in the salutation (the email address is blacked out).
Most email scams have a few common causes:
Use a trusted general business (such as FedEx, Netflix, PayPal, your bank, etc.).
Expresses urgency such as losing an account or product if the targeted user does not respond.
Include a simple greeting that does not use a name.
Specifically, a convenient button is included for the targeted user to click and access the malicious site.
Using an email address not related to an official business but deceptively similar to it. For example, the sender might use the fedexx.com domain to trick users, most of whom don't bother to look at the return address.
How do you deal with phishing email scams?
Be skeptical: Always verify everything with the company you're dealing with, especially if it involves sensitive information. If a banking institution emails you, asking for credit card information, call their business phone to verify. Avoid giving important information via email if possible.
Organizational employee training: To stay safe, make sure your employees are aware of phishing emails and what to do if they suspect they're receiving one. Hold training meetings quarterly if not monthly.
Have policies in place: Establish procedures employees should follow if they receive a phishing email or anything suspicious This may include how to verify that an email is legitimate, who to notify and how to deal with such emails.
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Phishing is easier than you think
Today's phishing email scams are more of a danger than many companies realize. Because it doesn't take a particularly skilled attacker to create a successful phishing campaign.
Like social engineering, phishing targets the weakest link in a company's security: employees. An untrained employee can inadvertently do a lot of damage to their company if they fall victim to a phishing campaign.
Remember, when it comes to email, be smart and be careful about sharing your data
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