What is phishing?

You’ve heard it all before. An electric connection with a mystery person. They’re (supposedly) ridiculously wealthy, but don’t have access to their money right now. All you need to do is wire transfer a measly $50,000 and you’ll receive much more in return! Unfortunately for those stuck in the web of these scams, there are no riches.

Most people now know not to trust someone who claims to be a wealthy monarch. As such, phishing has evolved to mirror our cultural landscape and the current state of the world. You could receive an email or text from someone claiming to be from the ATO, asking you to pay a fine via a sketchy link. It could also look like a spoofed university email address asking its faculty members to confirm their details. Even though phishing has evolved since the early days of the internet, the definition remains the same. A scammer masquerades as someone you think you can trust so they can gain access to your personal information.

Scammers typically purport to be from a trustworthy organisation, like a government body, school or bank. You might inherently trust someone who works for the university you attend, so you’re more inclined to hand over any personal information or settle any ongoing fees. 

If you don’t recognise the person trying to get in touch with you, they could be after your trust. They might even appeal to your humanity through an elaborately woven backstory. After all, you’re much more likely to help a man reconnect with his children in a war-torn country as opposed to a scammer vying for your life savings. 

Scammers will disguise emails and texts as seemingly harmless communications. If you’re not careful, clicking on a link or attached file can trick you into downloading malware or landing on an unsafe site. You should also be wary of scare tactics like extortion. While scammers might promise you money if you help them out, they could also threaten dire consequences if you don’t hand over your personal information. 

• Pop-up phishing attempts push pop-ups on your computer. They might claim there's an issue with your computer's security to lure you into clicking on the pop-up. If you do, you could find your computer subsequently infected with malware.  
• Social engineering is a popular phishing technique. The attacker will manipulate their victim into divulging sensitive information. They might purport to be royalty before asking for their help out of a sticky situation (which likely does not exist). They may also build a relationship with their victim before taking them for all they’re worth, as in pig butchering scams.
• Spear phishing targets a specific group or individual in an organisation. The aim is to get the individual or organisation to divulge sensitive data or compromise their systems via malware. 
• Voice phishing uses voice calls or messages to coax victims into providing sensitive information. This one is also known as a phone scam. 
• Website and domain spoofing will see hackers create fake but legitimate-looking websites. They might imitate the domain of a popular website, like Amazon. When the victim logs into the site, the credentials are collected by the attacker and used at their discretion.

Knowledge is power. The best defence against phishing, like all scams, is knowing what they look like. 

• Learn to avoid any promise or offer that seems too good to be true. These offers are designed to catch your eye. Scammers want you to respond, so they can gain access to your personal information. Don’t believe an email stating you’ve won a free iPhone.

• Avoid posting your personal information online. Some phishing attacks scrape social media for personal information like your mobile number and place of work. These can be used for voice phishing and spear phishing campaigns.

• Don't click links in emails or texts, especially those from unknown sources. Rarely do banks and genuine organisations include links in their emails and texts.

• Be wary of social and emotional lures. Look out for instant waves of compliments as soon as you match with someone on a dating app. If someone is relentlessly SMSing or emailing you claiming to be someone you know, contact them via another platform. 

• Use malware or anti-virus detection software to keep yourself safe online. 

• Don’t respond to phishing emails or SMS, or open any attachments you’re not expecting.  

• Examine hypertext links. If you’re unsure of the sender, clicking a link can lead to some dire consequences. Hover over the link to view the destination.

• Lose access to your social media
• Have huge chunks of money stolen from your account 
• Lose access to the files on your devices 
• See cybercriminals impersonating you online 

Phishing attacks are common in today’s day and age. You might find receive an email from someone claiming to be from the ATO, or a bank asking you to update your account details. It’s important to stay safe online, and part of that safety comes with knowing what to look for. Don’t divulge your personal information online, especially to people you don’t know. Better yet, use malware or anti-virus detection software to keep yourself safe online.