In the News
Is the Internet getting more dangerous? In Business Email Fraud Attacks Jump 25% from Infosecurity Magazine, Michael Hill discusses an increase of fraud attempts of both emails sent to businesses and social media phishing attempts by 25% and 30% respectively since last fiscal quarter. Hill explains that attackers are using more intricate methods such as bypassing current security measures to trick users into falling for their attacks.
Our Take
By this point, most of us know that email fraud happens and that phishing attempts are prevalent in our society. Yet, understanding that these attacks continue to grow in prevalence and complexity is cause for concern. The continued expansion of fraud and phishing attempts through social media platforms adds an additional level of danger because many people do not think about privacy and security to the same degree on social media than they might on a financial or medical matter. Additionally, many children, teens, and young adults with less knowledge of the dangers associated with fraud and phishing attempts use social media for a large percentage of the day leaving them exposed to having their privacy threatened.
Recommendations
So how can you protect yourself from fraud attempts?
- Know the signs of an email scam and know how to act if you are affected
- Refrain from entering any information into online quizzes, contests, or platforms that you wouldn’t broadcast publicly–especially ones created by an unfamiliar source
- Avoid clicking directly on links, whether in email or social media – always search through your search engine to verify legitimacy and find the appropriate site
- Stay up to date on news regarding recent fraud and phishing attacks to see if you may have been affected