Have you ever gotten an email or text that appears to come from your bank or a company saying there was an issue and they need information from you? These fishy emails often are part of a “phishing” scam that steals money from its victims.
Phishing for Trouble
Phishing scams can look like regular emails or text messages but have malicious intent! Be wary of any messages requiring you to enter your credit card information, Social Security number, and usernames or passwords. The FTC says phishing attacks may include stories used to get you to open attachments or click a link that may contain harmful malware.1
Don't Get Caught
Help ensure your internet safety by keeping your phone and computer security software up to date, backing up your data, and using multifactor authentication like verification codes for extra security.2 If you think a message is a scam, contact the company through a phone number or website you know is real. Report phishing emails to reportphishing@apwg.org and texts to SPAM (7726). Attempts also can be reported to the FTC at ReportFraud. ftc.gov.
1,2 Federal Trade Commission. September 2022. “How to Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams.” https:// consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid- phishing-scams. Accessed June 7, 2023.