How to Spot Phishing Emails : Atira

What is phishing?

Phishing is a cyber attack that uses disguised email as a weapon. The goal is to trick the

email recipient into believing that the message is something they want or need —

a request from their bank, for instance, or a note from someone in their company — and

to click a link or download an attachment.

Most common scams today

1.Fake CRA emails or texts

2.Fake cell phone provider Notifications

3.Fake E-Transfers

4.Online Loans

5.Bogus Customs & Delivery Charges

6.Phishing Emails

7.Lottery & Prize Winner Scams

8.Tech Support Scams

9.Foreign Money Transfers

What to look for

•Carefully notice the URL in the address bar: Attackers come up with domain names which look almost like the legitimate ones (Ex: www.amaz0n.com – notice its “0” not “o”). Be on the lookout for misspelled domain names, odd combinations, and extra affixes at the end of URLs.

•Look out for poor grammar: In addition to misspelled words, phishing emails are often filled with grammatical errors. If the email does not look like something that was professionally drafted, you might be looking at a scam.

•Beware of forged/embedded links: To verify the legitimacy of the URL, move your cursor over the embedded link before even clicking it and observe the name carefully.

•Compare display name to the email address. Attackers will change their display name to match someone you have emailed before but the email address will be different.

Examples of phishing emails

•Generic greeting

•Forged link

•Strange attachments

•Requests personal information

•Sense of urgency