Like death and taxes, online scams are inevitable. Among the most widely known flimflams is phishing, in which perpetrators try to steal your private information, such as online-account logins and personal financial data, via fake e-mails, websites, and even phone texts.
A typical phishing solicitation appears to be from a company or service you trust and possibly already do business with, including a bank, a payment service such as PayPal, or an agency such as the IRS.
But a number of telltale signs can help you identify phishing cons. Read on for tips on staying safe and protecting your information. And go to our Online Security Guide for more advice.
Here are some ways you can vet an e-mail that makes you suspicious.
Below are some real-life examples of phish e-mails as well as the warning signs we spotted in each.
Phish warning signs:
Phish warning signs:
Phish warning signs:
Phish warning signs:
Phish warning signs:
Phish warning signs:
Fake-antivirus attacks are the biggest security trap when you're using a browser. In fact, the FTC recently targeted this type of scam (read FTC cracks down on major tech support scams conning consumers). Here's what can happen.
Fake AV can be cleaned up without paying a fee to the hacker, but it can be a tricky, multistep process. To avoid the fake-AV trap, learn the messages your own security software gives. And always assume a pop-up warning is bogus, until you check it thoroughly.
Here's a list of best practices for keeping your personal information private and secure online.
• Install security software. Consumer Reports recommends several free programs.
• Keep your security software active and updated.
• Accept critical updates to major software, including Windows or Mac OS, office suites, browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Safari), plug-ins (Adobe Flash Player), and so on.
• Back up your files; assume your hard drive will fail.
• Be cautious about using free downloaded software. Instead, get it from a reputable source.
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