Activity 4 Catching Phish
Fishing If I went fishing what would I be doing? On the Internet fishing (phishing) is similar!
On the internet people trying to get your personal information (fish or phish) by sending out lots of messages (bait).
Phishing Phishing – the attempt to get personal information like usernames, passwords, and card details by pretending to be a person you can trust.
Identity Theft People sending phishing s are trying to get information from you. Full name Date of birth and where you were born
Current and previous addresses and phone numbers Driver’s license or passport number
Account numbers and the companies Where you hold accounts (e.g., Amazon, PayPal, etc.) Passwords
An example...
Spotting the Fakes Fake s try to trick you into giving your account information and passwords Think! Why are they asking for information they should already know? (Companies and Banks you use should already have your information)
Urgent response required: When the message says you have a limited time to respond, it is often the sign of a scam.
Spelling errors: Scam s often include spelling and grammar mistakes. A real company would not send out messages containing mistakes.
Link in or attachment: Phishing s often have a link in the or an attachment that they ask you to click on
This might link you to a site, or form where you give your information to criminals.
Too good to be true: Scam s often offer things too good to be true, like the chance to win free money or prizes.
You might see an that is not personally addressed to you.
Proper s from companies will be addressed to you, personally.
Identity thieves try to make you worry that something is wrong with your account.
To fix it you must respond to the quickly to fix it.
Activity Look at the examples of s on the sheet. Can you see anything which might mean they are fake phishing messages? Highlight anything suspicious on the picture.
Answers Did you spot the fakes?
Remember Avoid opening the message or in the first place Do not click on any links or download any attachments. They might contain viruses or spyware.
Do not reply! Mark as “junk mail” or “spam” and delete messages. You can also report problems on a social network site.
Some ways of asking for your details are cleverer than others!