Tech Talk: Gone Phishin'

WORLD WIDE WEB—It’s not nearly as fun as getting out the rod and heading down to the lake, returning hours later with a cooler full of fresh fish. It’s quite the opposite. Phishing is the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.

To appear legitimate, scammers will add counterfit logos to the top of their emails sent from similar-sounding, but not-quite-right email accounts. The full email address in correspondence is often truncated and hidden to save space. Fully expand windows to see where messages come from before clicking any links.

According to The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. They may

• say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts

• claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information

• say you must confirm some personal information

• include a fake invoice

• want you to click on a link to make a payment

• say you’re eligible to register for a government refund

• offer a coupon for free stuff

1. Protect your computer by using security software. Set the software to update automatically so it can deal with any new security threats.

2. Protect your mobile phone by setting software to update automatically. These updates could give you critical protection against security threats.

3. Protect your accounts by using multi-factor authentication. Some online accounts offer this extra measure of security, which requires two or more credentials to log in. The additional credentials you need to log in to your account with multi-factor authentication fall into two categories:

• Something provided—like a passcode you get via text message or an authentication app.

• Something of you—like a scan of your fingerprint, your retina, or your face.

Multi-factor authentication makes it harder for scammers to log in to your accounts if they do get your username and password, but it may also make it harder for you to access your information. Weighing the pros and cons of each credential method is essential.

For example, someone whose hands are exposed to elements may find that their fingerprints aren’t consistent enough to pass. Passcodes are great but can be forgotten. If you’re writing down passwords and leaving them on notepads all over the place, how secure is it really?

4. Protect your data by backing it up. Back up your data and make sure those backups aren’t connected to your home network. You can copy your computer files to an external hard drive or cloud storage. Back up the data on your phone, too. You’ll be glad you did.

If you get a phishing email or text message, report it. The information you provide can help fight the scammers.

Step 1. If you got a phishing email, forward it to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@apwg.org. If you got a phishing text message, forward it to SPAM (7726).

Step 2. Report the phishing attack to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams