The Federal Trade Commission received over 2 million fraud complaints from American consumers in 2020. that kind of loss amounts to 3.3 billion dollars. Another study found that phishing scams successfully infiltrated 74% of companies in the US. It’s a scam that can hurt your company, but it’s also a scam that can be preventable.
Phishing is one of the top tactics used by cybercriminals to get information that can be personal and confidential. Once the recipient clicks a malicious link, downloads an attachment, or gives out sensitive information, then it’s time to call in an expert.
The government essentially keeps track of all of these schemes in databases, but it’s up to you to identify the issue before it gets worse. If you have a human resources department or an IT department, it will then it’s going to be a lot easier to figure out how bad the phishing attack was.
But here are some warning signs to know–from Zip Recruiter:
- Suppose you ever received a job offer for something you didn’t apply for and the pay rate is for a senior position. In that case, that’s going to be a problem. The best thing that you can do at that point is to check with whoever the company is and confirm you’ve been sent an email for this position. Also, check the email itself to see if it originates from a brand website. Is that website also encrypted? When anything looks off, trust your gut.
- If it’s an excellent job, but you can’t find the information on what skills you need, chances are it’s too good to be true, so probably don’t respond to that kind of email. And if you see a lot of typos or any weird typos like a zero or placing a no, that’s a red flag. Strange attachments usually equal a virus or malware.
- If you receive a salary check, and the payment is higher than expected, a scammer will usually ask you to deposit it in your bank account, and then they get the difference back. A check like this is a form of money laundering Is a legally liable problem. On that note, if you have to give your banking or login credentials, that will be a phishing scam as well.
- Is your computer acting odd or running unusually slow? If you’re unable to run an antivirus software scan, it’s pretty safe to say that your computer is vulnerable to any email/phishing scams.
Need assistance understanding online privacy and your company’s IT strategy for the new year? Contact 1R Technologies to consult about our service offerings as a premier Managed Service Provider.