Phishing: What It Is and How to Protect Yourself

Phishing: What It Is and How to Protect Yourself

With the rapid increase in technology, we have seen a rise in scams and fraudulent activity. And with businesses becoming almost fully digitalized, we’ve more specifically seen a rise in phishing. At Sound, we prioritize the safety and well-being of our members, so we want to ensure you have the knowledge and tools to stay safe from these threats. 

What is Phishing? 

Before we dive into this topic, it’s important to know what phishing is. Phishing is a type of scam where scammers send a form of a message pretending to be a legitimate institution, typically one you are familiar with, like your credit union or bank. These could come in the form of an email, a text message, or even a phone call, luring you to click on the link they provided, and provide sensitive data, such as your banking information. 

How to Spot Fraudulent Messages 

At Sound, we value your security and want to help you recognize suspicious activity. With scammers improving their methods to appear more legit, how is it possible to spot a fraudulent message? Well, there can be a few giveaways to look for. 

• Phishing messages often use urgent or threatening language to create a sense of panic, pushing you to act immediately without thinking. 

• They frequently use generic greetings like “Dear Customer” instead of your name, as legitimate companies usually personalize their communication. 

• Look out for suspicious email addresses that mimic legitimate ones but contain slight variations, such as misspellings or additional characters. 

• Unsolicited attachments or links should raise red flags, especially if you weren’t expecting any communication from the sender. 

• Phishing attempts often contain noticeable spelling and grammar errors, which is uncommon for professional organizations with high communication standards. 

• Be wary of any message requesting sensitive information, like passwords or credit card details, as legitimate companies typically don’t ask for such information via email. 

The Do’s and Don’ts When You Receive a Phishing Message 

Now that you’ve identified that you’ve received a fraudulent message, here are some steps you can take: 

 What not to do: 

• Do not click on any links. This could allow scammers to place malware onto your device. 

• Do not try to contact your institution using the contact info from the phishing message. 

• Do not reply to the message. If you do, the scammer will know they have reached a real person. 

What to do: 

• Block the suspicious contact from your phone. 

• Report the message as spam. 

• Report the message through your text messaging app. 

• Forward the message to SPAM (7726). 

• Report it on the FTC’s website.

• Report it directly to your carrier. 

• Contact your institution through a trusted method, the best way is to look on either the back of your debit/credit card or the company’s website. 

How to Protect Yourself from Scammers 

After becoming aware of the different types of scams and how evolved they’re becoming, you may have some feelings of unease or worry. No need to panic, there are preventative steps you can take to protect yourself from phishing scammers. The FTC recommends taking these four steps: 

1. Safeguard your computer by installing security software and setting it to update automatically. This ensures your system stays protected against the latest security threats. 
2. Keep your cell phone secure by enabling automatic updates for your software. These updates can provide essential protection against potential security risks. 
3. Enhance your account security with multi-factor authentication, which requires multiple verification steps to log in. This method adds an extra layer of protection by requiring more than just a password, such as:
   • Something you know, like a password, PIN, or answer to a security question. 
   • Something you have, like a one-time verification code sent via text, email, or generated by an authenticator app, or a physical security key. 
   • Something you are, like a fingerprint, retina scan, or facial recognition. 
4. Protect your important data by regularly backing it up. Save your computer data to an external hard drive or cloud storage and do the same for your phone to ensure your information is not lost.