Phishing

Phishing is common cybersecurity threat in which bad guys try to acquire your personal information by sending fake emails, text messages, or chat messages or by impersonating a website.

The criminals will typically pose as a trustworthy entity like a financial institution, government, social media website, store, or as a professional such as a lawyer or a notary. The fraudsters will ask you to confirm your personal information, update your account, or change your password by placing a phone call to an illegitimate number or through a false website that can be a perfect copy of the genuine website. They may call and say that your computer has been compromised and you must follow their advice to fix it. They may ask you to provide personal information in exchange for a lottery prize or an inheritance from an unknown relative.  The fraudsters will make the request sound very urgent and important.

Finally, also be aware of spoofing. This technique can be use by malicious senders to mimic a sender’s address and make you think that the communication is a real request. It can be very difficult to recognize spoofing. If something sounds suspicious, trust your instincts. Contact the legitimate organization through other means to verify the request. Do not trust the contact info given to you by the potential attacker. No request is so urgent that you should skip precautions. Legitimate organizations will honour your wish without badgering you.