Avoid Phishing Attacks

As long as there have been businesses, there have been shady characters that you have to be aware of. As technology has evolved, so has the cybercriminal. Verizon found that phishing attacks rose by 11% and were the most common cause of corporate data breaches in 2020. Over in our QuickBooks Blog, Nick Summers has given you the help you need to spot phony emails to keep your business information safe.

1)   Check for typos
Cybercriminals don’t typically take their time and watch for typos. If you look closely you may find some spelling or grammar mistake that could raise some flags. No one is perfect in emails, but if you see more than a few, it could be worth looking into. Also make sure you check on your name and your company’s to make sure they are correct.

2)   Check the sender’s email address
If the person claims to be from a big company, most likely you won’t see Gmail, Outlook or yahoo. Summers points out, “Most cybercriminals are cleverer than this in 2021. They’ll use a domain that is close to the company’s real name, hoping your eyes won’t catch it while they’re scanning through the email. Common tactics include removing a letter so “@bastionburgers.com” becomes “@basionburgers.com,” and adding a word like “mail” to the email address, so @bastionburgers.com” becomes “@bastionburgersmail.com.”

3)   Hover over links before clicking
Before clicking on any link in a suspicious email (or any email) double-check the source. When you hover over the link, the web address will pop up in a window. If this doesn’t work, you can also right-click on the link, copy the link address and then paste it into a text file for closer inspection. How do you know what looks phishy? If the URL is a long line of random characters or hidden behind a link shortener definitely be cautious.

There are so many more tips from Summers, so head over to the full article for more advice: Phishing attacks are on the rise. Here’s how to avoid them.