If you’ve been paying attention lately, you’ve probably seen businesses get hit by phishing scams – which are emails sent to trick you into giving up personal details like your account info, social security numbers or more.

The fact is, phishing scams aren’t a “if it will happen” but a “when it will happen” scenario for most businesses and they can cause headaches or even bankrupt you. Cybercriminals are targeting businesses every day with these attacks and it’s getting harder and harder to spot them.

Here are five ways you can spot a phishing scam – and save yourself the pain.

  1. Bad grammar/spelling: Generally speaking, most phishing scams are from folks who cannot write well, so be on the lookout for poorly written emails with lots of errors.
  2. Outlandish requests: Scammers tend to ask for unreasonable things, like they will ask a low-level employee to give a high-level file or data point. If you get an email asking you for something you generally don’t have access to, it’s probably a scam. There will often be a false sense of urgency present as well; like reply IMMEDIATELY or do this NOW.
  3. Generic vibes. A phishing email is likely being sent to hundreds or thousands of people so it will likely seem generic, with language like Dear Customer or Hello Sir or Ma’am. A true email from a trusted source will usually have your name included in it.
  4. Vague messaging and no signature. If you get an email that seems vague or not quite right – even if it looks official, it could be a scam. Also, most official emails come with a signature, meaning you can see the name, position, contact information and more of the person who sent it. Scammers don’t want you to follow up, so they omit this.
  5. Personal data asks: No legit company sends an email asking you to share personal data like your password or bank account. They have that information already and if they need you to verify it, they will engage in another way. Also, be on the lookout for attachments or links – and don’t open them from non-trusted sources.

By being vigilant for anything that doesn’t seem right, you might just prevent a phishing scam in your organization or company!

AccuNet Inc.

Want to learn more about what we can do for your organization or business? Contact us today!