Phishing scams certainly aren’t new. Someone may impersonate your bank to get your account details. Another may pose as a loved one in trouble who needs money to get out of a bad situation.
While the stories are old, the quality of these scams has improved significantly thanks to AI. Scammers can use AI to write professional-looking messages, and create convincing videos or voicemails. So how do you protect yourself if it’s hard to tell what’s real versus a con?
Telltale signs of phishing
Whether you receive an unsolicited email, text, voicemail, or any other form of communication, there are always signs that can help you determine whether a message is legitimate:
- Urgency or emotional language: Many phishing messages try to make you act without thinking by fabricating emergencies or claiming there will be consequences if you don’t respond quickly. Take a breath – think about what a message is requesting before you do anything.
- Request for personal or financial information: Got a strange email asking you to log into your account? A request to pay for an outstanding invoice you don’t remember? A relative asking for money out of the blue? Never give out your personal details without verifying with the actual source (e.g., your bank) that a message is real.
- Incorrect sender or links: Look out for misspellings or anomalies in the sender email or links (e.g., support@micrasoft.com)
Reporting a scam
While you may not be able to stop phishing attempts entirely, you can report them to have malicious accounts blocked or closed:
- Use “Report Phish” at WCM: Suspicious messages sent to your WCM inbox can be reported to ITS Security using the “Report Phish” button in Outlook. We analyze it and send you a quick response letting you know if the email you reported is phishing.
- Contact government agencies: You can report fraud to agencies like the FTC and FBI. If you think your identity has been stolen in a phishing scam, make a report a IdentityTheft.gov as soon as possible.
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an annual collaborative effort between government and industry to ensure we have the resources you need to maintain your security online. Throughout October, we’ll be sending you tips on protecting your information and avoiding malicious attempts to extract your personal data. Visit its.weill.cornell.edu/cybersecurity for more info.