It sounds innocent enough – phishing, but it’s a word that should strike fear in your hearts. Phishing is a type of computer scam designed to trick you into opening an email link. That link might take you somewhere dangerous and end up corrupting your computer files or it may simply record your existence for another time when something more treacherous might be sent your way.
The trick with Phishing attacks is that they look like a regular email from someone credible. Last week I got one from Appleid@idapple.com telling me they were changing their billing & payment methods and that I should click on the link to update my records. I saw two spelling mistakes and was immediately suspicious. Also, the email address was weird. Don’t ever open an email that asks you to give away financial information.
What to do about it?
- Check every email you receive and be sure it’s from someone you know or that it’s something you’re expecting. If it’s not a fake, they’ll try again.
- Be suspicious. Assume the worst – it’s sad but good advice.
- Don’t reply or open any links – this just confirms your email address is real and will cause you trouble
- Delete the email and then delete it again from your deleted email folder.
Phishing is a type of Cyber-crime and it’s big, big business. Sadly, it’s not a case of if you’ll be attacked but when. It’s the bad side of the internet so please take care.
