Understanding Phishing and what to do about it

Every day it seems as if there is a new, and more sophisticated variation of an old scam. Today we are talking about Phishing. “Phishing is the attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and money), often for malicious reasons, by disguising as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication” (Thank You Wikipedia :).

What do we do about it:

1. Verify the sender’s email address. 
Scam artists often attempt to mimic the email address of you, a coworker, or another vendor or financial institution by making slight variations to the email address. For example, if your email address is support@edenrocsciences.com, a scam artist may email your employee pretending to be you by using the email address support@edenroccsciences.com - details matter!

2. Do not click any links, or download any attachments from unknown senders. 
Even after you have verified the email address, do not click on any links or download any attachments unless you are absolutely sure you know who the sender is, and that it’s an attachment or email you were expecting.

3. Verify the links before clicking. 
If you are unsure about a link in an email, hover over the link with your mouse, and in the bottom left corner of your browser you can see what URL the link leads to. If you do not recognize the URL and the sender, do not click.

4. Know what types of emails you and your employees should expect to see.
Phishing emails will almost always include solicitations for money, personal information, or both. Here is a list of a few of the organizations that internet criminals will try to mimic:

○    Your bank or other financial institution;

○    The federal, state, or local government;

○    Charities or other well-known organizations;

○    Vendors or subcontractors you work with;

○    Employees;

○    Disgruntled customers;

○    And software companies.

5. Inform others by reporting scams when you see them. 

Internet criminals are continuously evolving their strategies and tactics; inform others and report scams to scams@edenrocsciences.com