In the age of COVID-19, phishing attacks have increased and are playing on people’s fears and anxiety. A phishing attack is when a criminal poses as a trustworthy entity or a company that you might already doing business with and send you an email, instant message or even a text message in an attempt to get you to open a message that contains malicious software, which will infect your computer or device and steal your personal information.
The FTC recommends these steps to protect yourself from phishing attacks.
- Protect your computer by using security software and set it to update automatically so it can deal with any new security threats. Do the same for your mobile phone by setting software to update automatically. These updates could give you critical protection against security threats.
- Protect your online accounts by using multi-factor authentication. Some accounts offer extra security by requiring two or more credentials to log in to your account such as a passcode you get via text message or an authentication app, or a scan of your fingerprint, your retina, or your face. This is called multi-factor authentication and makes it harder for scammers to log in to your accounts if they do get your username and password.
- Protect your data by backing it up. Back up your data and make sure those backups aren’t connected to your home network. You can copy your computer files to an external hard drive or cloud storage. Back up the data on your phone, too.
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 and follow 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 and run a scan.
How to Report Phishing
If you got a phishing email or text message, report it. The information you give can help fight the scammers.
- Forward phishing emails 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 attack to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.
Below is an example of a phishing e-mail that many have received.
