Stay Safe Online: Top Tips to Avoid Phishing Scams

We want to share some tips to help protect you from phishing attacks.

Phishing (pronounced “fishing”) is a type of cyber attack where scammers try to steal your money or identity by tricking you into revealing personal information, such as credit card numbers, bank details, or passwords, through emails or websites that appear legitimate.

How to Recognize a Phishing Email:

• Urgent Call to Action or Threats: Messages that create a sense of urgency or fear.

• First-Time or Infrequent Sender: Emails from unknown or rarely contacted sources.

• Spelling or Grammar Errors: Poor language quality can be a red flag.

• Generic Greetings: Phrases like “Dear sir or madam” instead of your name.

• Mismatched Email Domains: Check if the email domain matches the sender’s claimed organization.

• Suspicious Links or Unexpected Attachments: Hover over links to see the actual URL before clicking.

For more information, you can read this article from Microsoft Support.

Important: Never reply to suspicious emails or open attachments! If you receive a suspicious email, contact Pastor Beth or me so we can alert others.