Impersonation
Phishing Scams
Scammers impersonate legitimate organizations like banks, tech companies, or government agencies to trick you into revealing sensitive information.
How It Works
- You receive an unsolicited email, text message (smishing), or phone call (vishing).
- The message creates a sense of urgency or fear, claiming your account is locked, a payment failed, or you have a security alert.
- It contains a link to a fake website that looks identical to the real one, or an attachment containing malware.
- You are prompted to enter login credentials, personal information, or financial details on the fake site.
Red Flags
- Unexpected emails or messages with urgent calls to action.
- Generic greetings like "Dear Customer" instead of your name.
- Poor grammar, spelling mistakes, and unprofessional design.
- Sender email address that is slightly different from the official one (e.g., `support@paypa1.com`).
- Links that, when hovered over, show a different URL than the one displayed.
Prevention Tips
- Never click on suspicious links or download unexpected attachments.
- Always go directly to the official website by typing the address yourself.
- Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on all your accounts.
- Verify urgent requests through a separate, trusted communication channel.
Example Scenario
"An email from "Netflix" claims your payment was declined and you must update your billing information immediately by clicking a link to avoid account suspension."