Telltale Signs of a Phishing Scam
Considering the prevalence of email use, email phishing scams continue to be one of the most effective ways for hackers to gain access to sensitive personal information. Email is considered to be one of the more vulnerable forms of communication because malicious characters can easily use it to forge a counterfeit identity.
Large businesses and enterprises are common targets of phishing scams because email serves as an easy entryway into these organizations. These cyber criminals are counting on employees not knowing each other personally and are using this lack of familiarity to send phishing emails that appear to come from upper management.
No matter how strong your cybersecurity policy is, you always have to consider the human element. All it takes is one employee to click on a malicious link to invite the enemy through the front door of your business. For this reason, it’s critical that you make your employees aware of the red flags associated with an email phishing scam to prevent your organization from becoming a victim.
Here are the phishing scam red flags to address in your corporate cybersecurity policy:
Mismatched Names
The most obvious sign of a phishing scam is when the sender’s email address does not correspond exactly to the company in question. For example, there is a notable difference between “FedEx.com” and Fed-Ex.com” The incorrect Fed-Ex.com version is a telltale sign that a hacker is trying to impersonate the company.
Urgent Action Requests
A classic example of an email phishing scam is to impersonate an authority figure within the organization and urgently request that the recipient share sensitive information. If there is no protocol in place for how to handle these emails, an entry-level accountant may be tempted to respond to the supposed CFO and share the requested confidential data, such as employee tax forms. As a best practice, your employees should always verify these types of emails by phone before taking action.
Embedded Links
Many of the emails that your employees will receive contain embedded links to make it easier for users to access websites mentioned in the email copy. However, employees should never assume that these links are safe. Make it a policy for employees to type the URL into their own browser.
Cybersecurity should be a top priority for your business. Contact us today and let us help you keep your business protected.
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