Finance & Life

10 Most Common Phishing Attacks

Written by ACCU Staff | 7/9/19 4:00 PM

Fraudsters are getting more sophisticated with their phishing techniques. Are you watching out for all 10 of the most common phishing attacks?

  1. The Government Maneuver – a fraudster impersonates a federal body to convince you to provide your personal information.
  2. The Friend Tactic – a fraudster tries to convince you to wire money to a friend who is stuck in a foreign country.
  3. The Billing Problem – a fraudster sends email indicating that your package will not be delivered due to incorrect billing information as a ploy to garner financial information.
  4. The Expiration Date – a fraudster sends email to falsely explain your account will expire shortly and you will lose all data in the account unless you log in with the link they provide.
  5. The Virus – a fraudster sends email which states that your computer has been infected and you need to download instructions via the attachment provided.
  6. The Contest Winner – a fraudster sends an email which notifies you to click a link to claim the prize with your personal information.
  7. The Friendly Bank – a fraudster impersonates your bank with false account notifications to capture your account number.
  8. The Victim – a fraudster sends an email to anger the recipient into the action of downloading an attachment which contains malicious
  9. The Tax Communication – a fraudster sends an email notification that you are eligible for a tax refund or have been selected for a tax audit.
  10. The Checkup – a fraudster claims to be a company which is conducting a routine security procedure and requests you verify your account by providing information.

If you receive an email you suspect to be from a fraudster:

  • Don’t click on any links, open attachments, or expand/download any included pictures
  • Don’t try to reply to the sender
  • Report the scam by forwarding the e-mail to the FTC – spam@uce.gov
  • Delete the email from your email account or computer
  • If you do legitimate business with a company mentioned in the phishing email, you can contact them so they may take further action.