Protect Yourself from Phishing Scams

Phishing scams continue to proliferate at alarming rates and are becoming more and more difficult to detect. It’s important for you to understand how to recognize a phishing attempt and what you can do to protect yourself.

What Can I Do?

• Be cautious about all communications you receive. If it appears to be a phishing communication, do not respond. Delete it. You can also forward it to the Federal Trade Commission at [email protected].
• Do not click on any links listed in the email message, and do not open any attachments contained in a suspicious email.
• Do not enter personal information in a pop-up screen. Legitimate companies, agencies, and organizations don’t ask for personal information via pop-up screens.
• Install a phishing filter on your email application and also on your web browser. These filters will not keep out all phishing messages, but they will reduce the number of phishing attempts.

For more information:

• U.S.-CERT Security Tip: Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks
• Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG): Monthly Phishing Attack Trends Reports