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Four Ways To Protect Yourself From Phishing

November 22, 2024

Scammers use email or text messages to trick you into giving them your personal and financial information. But there are several ways to protect yourself.

Your email spam filters might keep many phishing emails out of your inbox. But scammers are always trying to outsmart spam filters, so extra layers of protection can help. Here are four ways to protect yourself from phishing attacks.

1. Protect your computer by using security software. Set the software to update automatically so it will deal with any new security threats.

2. Protect your cell phone by setting software to update automatically. These updates could give you critical protection against security threats.

3. Protect your accounts by using multi-factor authentication. Some accounts offer extra security by requiring two or more credentials to log in to your account. This is called multi-factor authentication. The extra credentials you need to log in to your account fall into three categories:

something you know — like a passcode, a PIN, or the answer to a security question.
something you have — like a one-time verification passcode you get by text, email, or from an authenticator app; or a security key
something you are — like a scan of your fingerprint, your retina, or your face

Multi-factor authentication makes it harder for scammers to log in to your accounts if they do get your username and password.

4. Protect your data by backing it up. Back up the data on your computer to an external hard drive or in the cloud. Back up the data on your phone, too.

What To Do if You Suspect a Phishing Attack

If you get an email or a text message that asks you to click on a link or open an attachment, answer this question:

Do I have an account with the company or know the person who contacted me?

If the answer is “No,” it could be a phishing scam. Go back and review the advice in How to recognize phishing and look for signs of a phishing scam. If you see them, report the message and then delete it.

If the answer is “Yes,” contact the company using a phone number or website you know is real — not the information in the email. Attachments and links might install harmful malware.

What To Do if You Responded to a Phishing Email

If you think a scammer has your information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, go to IdentityTheft.gov. There you’ll see the specific steps to take based on the information that you lost.

If you think you clicked on a link or opened an attachment that downloaded harmful software, update your computer’s security software. Then run a scan and remove anything it identifies as a problem.

How To Report Phishing

If you got a phishing email or text message, report it. The information you give helps fight scammers.

If you got a phishing email, forward it to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@apwg.org.
If you got a phishing text message, forward it to SPAM (7726).
Report the phishing attempt to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

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