Phishing Scams Are Getting Sophisticated – Are You at Risk of Taking the Bait?
You know what industry is huge right now? Hacking. Data breaches, identity theft, ransomware, viruses … It’s like the Wild, Wild West out there!
But phishing? Most people think there’s no way they would fall for a phishing scam.
Think again.
Phishing has gotten a lot more sophisticated since the days of the “Nigerian Prince” who needs to borrow a few thousand dollars from you in order to get access to his inheritance and he promises to split the money with you – all he needs is your bank information. (Don’t give it to him; he’s not real!)
Just a few weeks ago there was a wide-scale Google Docs phishing scam that fooled a lot of people – including someone at NPR. For that scam, hackers worked through Google and developed third-party plugins that lured you in (you know, cause it’s Google).
Earlier this year, there were a few phishing scams that targeted tax preparers specifically. One was a series of emails that seemed to be from a potential new client. The other was an email that looked like it came from a tax software provider. The email alerted the tax preparer that their account would be closed if an action wasn’t taken (that action being to log in with your credentials – which hackers could then use to gain access to those accounts and all that personal client data).
Phishing scams run the gamut. They can seem like invitations to Dropbox, threats from the IRS, software account issues, or even emails from someone you know (like a coworker, family member or vendor). Reply All, a podcast about all things Internet related, did a story on phishing where the host actually hired someone to try and phish her coworkers. Guess what! Some of them took the bait.
We found the podcast extremely informative and thought you would to – especially since hacking has been so prevalent lately.
Give it a listen here: What Kind of Idiot Gets Phished?
Want to take a deep dive into security best practices? Check out these RTS blogs you might have missed:
11 Security Tips Every SaaS Startup Should Take to Heart
Is Your Server Secure Enough?
Is Your Website a Sitting Duck for Hackers? Cybersecurity Best Practices
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