Author: Sherry McKee, VP/Director of Technology and Facilities, PremierBank

Phishing is a type of online scam that targets individuals by sending them an email that appears to be from a well-known or legitimate source in order to entice them to reveal personal information like passwords and account numbers or install malware onto their device. The best defense against these cybercriminals is to ask yourself a few questions before clicking on anything in the email or responding:

Phishing Identification Checklist:

• Is it from a source that you recognize? Always check the sender’s email address and make sure it matches the email address that you know is legitimate. If you can’t see the email address, hover over it with your mouse.
• Is it something that you are expecting? Why is John asking you to contact him immediately because he needs you to do something? Contact him on the phone to verify before doing anything.
• Does anything about the email or the fact that you got this email seem weird, suspicious, or just not right? If it doesn’t make sense, then you need to stop there and verify before taking any action on the email.
• Does the email message ask you to act immediately? Urgent demands are common practice with cybercriminals because they think you will panic.
• Does the email contain poor spelling or bad grammar? Is it awkwardly worded or nonsensical? As intelligent as these criminals seem to be, they often don’t use spell check or proof their “work”.
• Does the email promise money or demand money?
• Does the email have an attachment? It may look like a harmless document, but viruses and other forms of malware can be hidden “in” the document and will be released if you open it.
• Does the email have a link? Hover over the link without clicking to see where it might be taking you. Is it a website you recognize? To be safe, use your known legitimate website addresses before using the one in the email.

If you receive an email and you just aren’t sure about it – call the sender at a known phone number to verify. It is better to take a few minutes and be sure rather than fall prey to the cybercriminals.

To learn more about protecting your financial and personal information, click here.