Better Business Bureau alert web users of ‘phishing scams’ | #phishing | #scams | #education | #technology | #infosec

BATON ROUGE, La (BRPROUD) – The Better Business Bureau (BBB) alerts internet users to ‘phishing scams’ this holiday season.

In phishing scams, cyber attackers are trying to steal invaluable information from internet users by phishing them to click, download or share personal information that includes social security, credit card and bank account numbers to imposters posing as professionals or businesses to scam users.

The news release states that cyber attackers have invented a plethora of tricky ways of successfully ‘phishing scams’ to people. BBB warns internet users to look out for red flags which include fake emails or text messages that send fun prize offers or threaten to punish users if they fail to respond with personal information that concerns unpaid taxes, missed jury duty, or deactivated bank account by deadline.

Other ways of phishing are phone calls where imposters, prob questions in regards to accounts or subscriptions, the press release states.

To avoid ‘phishing scams,’ the BBB instructs these tips for users to follow below:

• If something sounds suspicious, call the company directly or check the company website directly. Don’t click on links in an unexpected email, type the URL for the company into the browser or do a web search to find the right website.
• Don’t click, download, or open anything that comes from an anonymous sender. This is likely an attempt to gain access to your personal information or install malware on your computer.
• Question generic emails. Scammers cast a wide net by including little or no specific information in their fake emails. Always be aware of unsolicited messages that don’t contain your name, last digits of your account number, or other personal information.

Cyber attackers prey on ‘victim curiosity’ to get users to click on or download a dangerous fake ad, or document in order to steal personal information from a user’s computers or mobile devices.

For more information concerning phishing scams visit www.bbb.org.