Phishing attacks have become a growing concern.
Phishing attacks have become a growing concern across all industries and can be difficult to detect. Phishing is a technique for attempting to acquire sensitive data, such as bank account numbers, through a fraudulent solicitation in email or on a web site, in which the perpetrator masquerades as a legitimate business or reputable person.
Here are some facts about the prevalence and impact of phishing:
- Phishing attacks accounted for 50% of all of the cybercrime that affected internet users worldwide.
- As of 2023, 3.4 billion phishing emails are sent every day. Most of these emails are automated and aimed at a large audience without much context.
- Google blocks around 100 million phishing emails every day.
- 36% of all security breaches begin with a phishing attack.
- An average of 1.4 million phishing sites are created every month.
- $44.2 million was taken by cybercriminals through phishing assaults, with an average loss of $136 per incident. Businesses lose $50 million on average due to data breaches that disclose millions of records.
The risk that phishing poses is clear. The good news is that you can avoid the phish hook and keep your accounts secure by knowing more about how phishing works.
Phishing emails, texts, direct messages on social media, and phone calls are the most common forms of "bait" used in these scams. To elicit a response from you, these communications are created to appear as though they are from a reliable source or institution. Before opening an attachment or clicking on a link, take some time to pause and evaluate what you are doing.
Here are a few important tips to follow:
1. Recognize: Look for these common signs:
a. Urgent or alarming language
b. Requests to send personal and financial information
c. Poor writing, misspellings, or unusual language
2. Report: If you suspect phishing, report the phish to protect yourself.
a. Report phishing attempts to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
b. For personal email accounts, you may be able to report spam or phishing to your email provider.
c. If you suspect you have been a victim of phishing, notify CustomerLine at 914-902-2775 (TDD: 800-824-0710).
3. Delete: Delete the message.
a. Don't reply or click on any attachments or links, including any "unsubscribe" links. Remember, if you don’t expect it, reject it.