Spoofing and Phishing are key parts of email compromise scams. Spoofing is when someone disguises an email address, sender name, phone number, website URL to convince you that you are interacting with a trusted source. These emails look like they are coming from someone you know or a company that you have done business with or a friend or family member. However, they have changed one letter or symbol or number that you maybe wouldn’t immediately recognize. These spoofed emails can lead you to download malicious software, send money, or disclose sensitive information. Phishing schemes often use spoofing techniques to lure you in and are also designed to trick you into giving information to criminals. In a Phishing scam there is usually a link to click on which takes you to a fake site. It will look completely legit but those sites are set up for the purpose of stealing information.
Phishing has evolved and now has several variations that use similar techniques:
- Vishing scams happen over the phone, voice email, or VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) calls.
- Smishing scams happen through SMS (text) messages.
- Pharming scams happen when malicious code is installed on your computer to redirect you to fake websites.
Protect yourself by not clicking on anything in an unsolicited email or text message. Carefully examine the details of any emails you receive, check email address, URL, and spelling. Be careful what you download and never open an attachment from someone you don’t know. If you receive a suspicious email to your bank address, do not click on anything.
