How to Spot and Protect Yourself From Phishing
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Unsolicited phone calls or texts that pitch free or super-cheap products and services, or that claim to be from a government agency, public utility, bank or major company
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Phishing
Phishing scams aim to acquire valuable personal and financial data, such as your Social Security number, credit card details or passwords for online accounts, to steal your identity, your money or both. They are mostly associated with email but can come in many forms, including social media messages, , “vishing” (voice phishing by phone), (phishing by text message) and “pharming” (drawing victims to bogus websites). By digital-age standards, it’s an old-school tool, dating to the mid-1990s, but phishing continues to grow in use and sophistication — and to respond to current events. The unleashed a bevy of fresh campaigns built around issues such as , and . The Internal Revenue Service, which , said that in June and July 2021 reported phishing attempts "reached levels we haven't seen in more than a decade." Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. The scam often , and phishers can be very good at it. They sound authoritative on the phone, trick caller IDs into showing a real corporate or government number and use well-known logos to make their emails and websites look genuine. They bait the hook by promising goodies — free products or services, a big , a government grant — or threatening legal or financial harm over a supposed unpaid tax or , for example. You might get a call or an official-looking email from your bank or from a tech company like Apple or Netflix, claiming a problem with your account. You might even get a phishing email that appears to come from a family member, friend or work colleague. Some scammers hack accounts and gather personal details on victims to launch highly targeted attacks, a practice called . Global crime gangs use phishing emails in widespread to penetrate companies’ computer networks or trick employees into paying phony invoices. Wherever their apparent source, phishing messages feign urgency (act now or you’ll risk arrest/have your account frozen/miss out on this special offer). You’ll be asked to quickly provide or “confirm” key pieces of personal or business information or be directed to click on a link, which might launch malware that harvests data from your computer or that takes over the machine and locks you out. that warn of viruses, promise a prize or redirect you automatically to another siteUnsolicited phone calls or texts that pitch free or super-cheap products and services, or that claim to be from a government agency, public utility, bank or major company
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