Tag Archives: phishing

What is Phishing?

What is Phishing?

Your cybersecurity is of the utmost importance. Do you know what phishing is? Keep reading to learn what phishing is, how it can happen, and tips to tighten up your cybersecurity. 

Definition of Phishing

When criminals go phishing, do not take the bait. Phishing is when criminals create fake emails and lure you into clicking. These emails commonly bait you into clicking malicious software that will download on your computer or convince you to share personal information. Phishing happens daily, it is extremely important to know what it is, what to look for and how to handle it. 

Don’t Click It

If you see a suspicious email you feel could be a phishing attempt, DO NOT CLICK IT. Believe it or not, it can be difficult to spot a fake email. If you’re at the office and the email came to your work email address, report it to your IT manager or security officer as quickly as possible. On your personal email, do not click on any links (even the unsubscribe link) or reply back to the email – JUST DELETE IT. You can take your protection a step further and block the sending address from your email program, too.

Here’s how to… 

Here’s how to:

Signs of Phishing 

Recognizing a phishing attempt can be fishy and almost difficult sometimes. If you have a feeling an email looks off, go with your gut. Here are the top signs that may point to a phishing attempt: 

  • Contains an offer that is too good to be true
  • Very urgent language 
  • Uses threatening or alarming language
  • Ambiguous greetings
  • Requests personal information
  • Bad grammar
  • Misspellings
  • Sending from an email address that doesn’t match the person or company
  • The urgency to click links or attachments
  • Strange requests

Don’t be scammed by a phishing attempt. It is important to educate your household about what to look for in a fake email and how to go about handling it to ensure your safety and cybersecurity. Keep your devices and accounts password-protected and be sure to clear out your inbox frequently. Don’t take the phishing bate!

Peoples Bank & Trust Co.

Member FDIC

Equal Housing Lender

How to Tell if a Call is a Scam

Cyber Security

Often times, phishing calls can come off as friendly or even helpful, however, in many instances the caller is malicious and intends to compromise your personal information. Peoples Bank & Trust wants to help you avoid situations like these, and offers the following key prompts to help you identify a fraudulent caller. Keep these five points at the top of your mind the next time you’re wary of an unknown caller:

The matter is deemed extremely urgent by the caller. The biggest and clearest red flag is when the individual calling claims that you HAVE to update or adjust something ASAP. The caller will then indicate that they are from an institution you may know, and they need to know your personal information ASAP. DO NOT give out this information. If you think a company you work with may truly need to update an account, call them at the number you have listed and inquire about the presentation the prior caller shared. Nine times out of ten the company will not be aware of any need to update the information and will take note of the fraudulent call being conducted to its customers.

The offer or promotion seems too good to be true. When someone calls claiming that you have won a foreign lottery, been chosen for an all-inclusive cruise, or received some other once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, chances are it’s a scam. On numerous occasions, fraudsters have used this ruse to illicit payment or personal information to “process your winnings.”  Unless you specifically remember entering into a sweepstakes for the prize you are being called about, this call is a scam.

The person calling is asking for personal information.  Not every time will the caller claim you have won a prize. Sometimes it may be as simple as a person posing as a business contact you work with, asking to verify some information. Whether it’s an insurance company, financial institution, or other entity, always ask if you can call the person back, and call them at the number you have in your records. If this number is different from the one which just called, you may have just avoided a scam.

Reverse lookup the phone number. Sometimes there is just something about a call that gives you a gut feeling that it’s not right. In cases like these, we recommend looking up the number on whitepages.com with their reverse lookup feature. This will not only tell you where the call is coming from, but can also alert you if the number has been flagged as a scam.

With these four tactics, Peoples Bank & Trust hopes you and your personal information can stay safe and secure. If you’re looking for more cyber security tips and tricks, be sure to check our blog. We share a new identity theft related topic each and every month.

Peoples Bank & Trust Co.

Member FDIC

Equal Housing Lender