What is Phishing? Pronounced “Fishing” Phishing is the activity of defrauding an online account holder of private information including financial information by posing as a legitimate company or source. Phishing is a form of pretexting, a kind of deception in which an attacker pretends to be someone else in order to obtain information.

How Phishing Works Phishing is a way of fraudulently acquiring sensitive information using social engineering and technical subterfuge. In other words, it tries to trick users with official-looking messages May ask for credit card Bank info EBay account info PayPal account info Or other personal information Some phishing attacks operate through email and can also contain malicious software or other unwanted software that can track your activates and slow your computer.

Phishing in Emails Phishing via an email generally is sent through an official-looking email from a known source. Phishing is different than spam. Spam tries to sell a product or service, whereas phishing messages need to look like it is from a legitimate organization or source Therefore, techniques applied to prevent spam messages cant be applied natively to phishing messages. Check the source of Information from E-mail Banks will never ask for passwords or personal information by email. When in doubt call the source to ensure the email is legitimate.

How to Avoid Phising DO NOT CLICK THE LINK Always type the site name into the browser For example: always type your banks web address in manually to conduct business, never follow the link in an email Never send sensitive account information by e-mail Account numbers, Social Security Number, passwords Never give your password to anyone Verify any person who contacts you (phone or email) If you receive a call requesting sensitive information, do not answer questions unless they can verify their identity. Use only secured sites and practice safe browsing Never enter personal information into unsecured sites

Always Check Your Links Some phishing attacks are very sophisticated and can dupe even the most trained eyes. Always hover over any links before clicking to ensure the address is correct. Only follow links in emails that you can verify to be from a legitimate source or you are expecting. Use the hover link and manually enter into a web browser Phishing sites often duplicate or appear to be legitimate sites. Make sure to check the web address of the site you are on

When in Doubt… If there is the slightest doubt of legitimacy do not risk it. Maintain antimalware, antivirus, anti-phishing software, and ensure updates to other software are regularly completed Be aware of scare tactics Example: IRS or Police will not contact you via mail asking for personal information or banking information Always remember: Do Not Feed The Phish