Unfortunately, as phishing attacks become more sophisticated, it is very difficult for the average person to tell if a message is fraudulent. That is why phishing schemes are so prevalent and successful for criminals. For example, many phony email messages use real company logos of well-known brands.
Pinnacle developed a list of the "Super 6" questions you can ask yourself to help determine the legitimacy of any email.
- Is this an unsolicited email?
- Is the source of the email unfamiliar to you?
- Does the email ask you to click a link, download or open an attachment or log in to proceed?
- After reading the email, does the request seem suspicious?
- When you hover your mouse over the link, is the redirect address different or unfamiliar?
- Does the redirect link end with “.exe”, “.bat”, “.pdf” or “.zip”?
If your answer is “yes” to multiple questions, use extreme caution with the email and strongly consider deleting it.