Phishing scams are as old as the Internet. The idea of phishing is to get unaware consumers to click on links that appear to be legitimate in the hopes that personal financial information is sent over the Internet. Phishing scams often come in the aftermath of a disaster, playing off the sensibilities of good-hearted people. Other scams include foreign princes seeking amnesty, or the European Lottery Commission claiming you’ve won millions of dollars. Phishing has even become so complex that they are tackling social media in hopes of being friended. Here are some tips to avoid being phished online:

  1. Be aware of any email that asks you for your personal information. If it isn’t from your bank or your financial advisor, you don’t need to click on the link.
  2. Check for grammar. Even if you’re not the most proficient in grammar, you can tell what has been hastily or poorly written. Poorly written emails (especially if they don’t have a business email signature attached to it) are a pretty good indication that the email is an attempt to phish you.
  3. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Phishers falsely make statements in the subject line of their email, or within the body itself, that make you click on the email. A common subject line is “Congratulations you won $1,000,000”.
  4. Oftentimes the phishy emails are not personalized. They can be personalized, but don’t be fooled. Emails that are valid will have a phone number or return email that is not encoded in numbers and letters. If it does have a phone number, call it to make sure.
  5. If you get a friend request of someone you don’t know or ever heard of, chances are it’s phishing. This is becoming more and more common because of Facebook’s soft identification system. Report them immediately before they try to befriend other people.

It’s important to note, though, that phishing emails aren’t just after your financial information. They can go after physical mailing addresses, social security numbers, and other email addresses you may own. Getting phished can lead to a lot of problems that can take years to overturn.

Your email filters can catch the majority of phishing emails, but there are a few that can get through. As an individual or business owner it’s important to avoid phishing scams of any kind. It is an invasion of your privacy and it can cost you your savings and assets. Anti-phishing laws are in place, but unfortunately there are still those who wish to test the waters.

No one individual or business is immune from the reaches of the phishers but it’s up to us to be aware of them and avoid them. Businesses and individuals have had their identities stolen, their bank accounts drained, and their credit destroyed by phishers. If you suspect phishing or other email scams, contact your local authorities or report it to your local bank if the scam is going under the auspices of your financial institute.

Everyone has a responsibility to combat phishers by being aware of the problem. The more we ignore them and report them, the more they become pushed in a corner.