Avoid Phishing and Smashing

Yes, these are real words. Both business owners and their customers need to be aware of how to protect themselves in an ever-growing tech-focused world. So... what are these words, and how can we avoid falling victim to them? Read on for some advice for staying safe online.

Phishing, not to be confused with the popular band, is also not a misspelling of Fishing, but a variation. Phishing is a method scammers use to look and sound like someone you know. They send you an email, for example, usually about some problem with an existing account (which you may actually have) and offer you a link to click to fix the problem. How nice of them, right? Unfortunately no, usually the URL you are taken to from the seemingly branded button is in no way related to the actual site, company, or representative. This URL prompts you to log in on a page that probably looks exactly like your bank, your software system, your email account, etc. In fact, all they've done is gotten you to type in your login, which they have now stolen. Sometimes it is as simple as phishing for a login, in other cases you may actually provide payment information. In any case, they've got it.

Smishing, you ask? The same as phishing, but they use SMS (Text Messages) sent to your phone. Same scam, different delivery system.

So, How can you avoid falling for this?

The answer is more simple than you think. For a Phish sent via email, check the sender's email address. When in doubt, do not click on the links in the email. Instead, click on the name, and see who it is really from. Is that a URL you recognize? If we sent you an email, the address would be @tvgbusiness.com, for example. The server it comes from is whatever is directly before the .com, .org, .net, etc. Your bank will not send you a request to change your password from a gmail account. Nor will Meta (Facebook, Instagram, or Threads) send you a message that you have violated your terms and conditions, and give you a strange link to click inside your messenger app. We see several of those Facebook messages a day, actually, across many of the accounts we serve.

More Quick Tips

1. When in doubt, go directly to the website of the business you think it is in a new window yourself, and contact the company via their Contact Us page.

2. If someone is requesting a funds or wire transfer, send a text or call a number you already have, or have found on your own on their site. Do not communicate electronically about money, like changes in account numbers for paying vendors, for example, if you can help it.

3. Keep your accounts secure. Use pass phrases that are long and difficult to guess, like song lyrics, lines of a favorite poem, etc. mixed with numbers, capitals and special characters. These are very difficult to guess. If you can, try no to use the same password everywhere. One of our favorite tools for this is a password checker like the one provided by Kaspersky. You'll notice that their name is before the .com. Had we send you a link to Phishpersky you would not fall for it after reading this blog, would you?

For more tips, or training for your team, reach out to us at our legitimate email address - info@tvgbusiness.com - and enjoy some real fishing this weekend, instead!