How can you identify a phishing attempt?
How to identify a scam or phishing attempt
As technology advance, so would those cybercrimes getting more and more sophisticated in their technique each day. It has become increasingly challenging to identify their tricks.
Most fraudsters use email or SMS text messages to deceive their target into giving them personal information such as passwords, account numbers, or Social insurance numbers. Once obtained, they could access the victims' email, bank, or other accounts to obtain financial gain. These fraudsters release thousands of phishing attacks every day and often successful in what they are doing.
In 2019 alone, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported over $57 million lost to phishing schemes.
Here are some tips and signs that might help you recognize a phishing email or text message to fight cybercrimes.
Click on the title below to expand
Emails like such (known as "Phishing") and SMS text messages (known as "Smishing") send you and lead you to a linked website that may design to deceive the victim. It looks like from a known or trust company. (It could be like a bank, a social networking site, a credit card company, an online store, an online payment website or app or more. )
Remember, if something you get it is too good to be true, it usually is. Always be suspicious and get to the source. Do more investigation before you response.
These scams involved telling a story to the target by clicking on a link or opening an attachment. Stories may be from any of these:
1. The "bank" noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts
2. Notify a person there's an account or payment issue and need the correct information to fix
3. Attached with a fake invoice
4. Asking to confirm some personal information
5. Request for payment by clicking
6. Won, offer coupons, or about to send some free stuff
7. Congratulate the recipient they are eligible for a government refund
Always be suspicious when such an email gets in the inbox. How do you identify if these are a scam?
1. The email always designed to looks like it's from a familiar company
2. Email notifying your account is on hold because of a billing problem.
3. Email not identifying the recipient, often starting with "Hi Dear."
4. Comes with a link to update your payment details.
The email they send might look genuine from the company. It has the company logo, nicely layout screen, lots of detail and addresses that look similar to the real one. Remember, Phishing email's objective is to deceive someone, so the victim could get the fraudster what they want, their information while harming the companies' reputation they're spoofing.
Although email spam filters might keep lots of phishing emails out of the inbox, fraudsters are constantly attempting to outmaneuver spam filters. Protect Yourself From Phishing by adding an extra protection layer, as such:
1. Secure the computer by using the most up to date anti-virus and security software. Always set the automatic update on to receive the latest threat response.
2. Protect cellphones software to update automatically. Updates could protect against security threats.
3. Use multi-factor authentication if available. Multi-factor authentication makes it harder for a fraudster to log in to your accounts even if they get your username and password.
4. Always do a backup. Make sure those backups do not connect to your network.
Phishing attempt wants you to click on a link or open an attachment, refrain from doing so and verify with the source if they are genuine. If not, erase and do not respond to the email. If suspicious, always call and verify with the source. Do not use the email provided contact number but do your research to get the "Real" contact number from a reputable site.
Click on the title below to expand
Anyone may have "accidentally" followed the phishing email's instructions and give in their information, such as Social insurance, credit card, or bank account number.
To minimize damage, act quickly by calling the bank, visit https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca and report the crime. There are specific steps to take based on the information.
Let just say a hacker gains access to an employee's email or breaches your network. We'll cover costs to fix the problem and breach-related expenses such as credit monitoring and regulatory penalties.
Contact us for a quote if you do not have access to these
Click on the title below to expand
Consider our cybersecurity & insurance package to keep your business safe. The solution is considered the best in the industry for a company to handle cyber risk. We offer comprehensive insurance policy coverage, complimentary cybersecurity tools to keep track and safeguard your business, with 24/7 professional incident response to help you quickly react to a cyber incident.
Introducing the most innovative and comprehensive coverage
As we found existing cyber insurance coverage lacking in some areas, so we work with the best provider to create one. Our insurance covers more of the financial, tangible, and intangible exposures your business faces than any other insurance company. We have state of the art cybersecurity platform that comes with 24/7 tracking, automated security alerts, staff training, and access to security experts to prevent cyber incidents before they occur. As for cyber insurance, we protect the value of your entire business, including financial, intangible and tangible damage, with up to 20 Million of the most comprehensive cyber insurance.
We provide a complete suite of security applications. The package will including 24/7 safety tracking, automated risk and intelligence alerts, security benchmarking, DDoS mitigation, Ransomware security defence, staff member training, software patch update reminders to your organization and more, all included with the insurance policy package at no additional cost.
Having an insurance policy is to prepare for the worst-case scenario when you needed most. Our solution comes with a committed 24/7 emergency response and a claims group to help you to respond to an incident swiftly. Our emergency first response team has thousands of organizations relying on them.
Our comprehensive solution?
Please take a look at our coverage for 3rd party.
- We cover the cost to defend you and any damages resulting from your liability to a 3rd party (Network & Information Security Liability).
- Any regulatory fines & penalties, multimedia wrongful acts (such as infringement, defamation, piracy, etc.) are covered.
- Payment Card Industry fines & assessments resulting from a failure in your security, data breach, or privacy violation
And
- When you have a security breach that results in physical damage or injury to a 3rd party, the insurer will pay the costs of defence and damages
In the event of security breaches (i.e. cyber attack), we'll cover losses resulting from bodily injury.
Should there be damage/impairment to your tangible property
, as well as damages resulting from any liability to a 3rd party, including regulatory fines & penalties and pollution, be assured the insurer will protect your business.
The insurer will
- Pay the costs to replace your computer systems that are permanently affected by malware.
- Any funds transfer losses you incur from a breach in your security or social engineering.
- Pay additional amounts you're billed by a cloud or telephone provider for fraudulent charges.
- Pay for replacement, restore, or recreate digital assets damaged or lost following a security failure.
- Cover any financial losses due to negligence in security, data breach or systems failure (including contingent/dependent Business Income), as well as the extra expenses you incur to bring your company back online.
- Cover any costs on extortion incident, including money, securities, and even virtual currencies paid.
- Pay for the prices to respond in a data breach, including 3rd party incident response and public relations experts, customer notification costs and credit monitoring, media purchases, legal fees, and advice regarding the incident.
