To start off, want to put to some definitions out there.
Phishing: The fraudulent practice of sending emails or other messages purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords or credit card numbers.
Vishing or Voice Phishing: the fraudulent practice of making phone calls or leaving voice messages purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as bank details and credit card numbers.
Smishing or SMS Phishing: is the combination of "SMS" and "Phishing". The fraudulent practice of sending text messages purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords or credit card numbers.
You get the picture. They are all similar. Just need to be aware that these threats can come at you from all angles, no matter where you are.
Trend Micro, an industry leader in cyber security, explains the Main Types of Phishing: Spear Phishing and Whaling, Smishing, Vishing, Email Phishing and Search Engine Phishing. Read more here: Trend micro - the Different Types of Phishing The High Tech Solution has partnered with Trend Micro for over 10 years to share this industry leading service with all of its customers.
The Federal Trade Commission has a nice write up on "Spam Text Messages" here: FTC - How to Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages and here is another report on Smishing from Trend Micro: What is Smishing?
Read more on Trend Micro's take on Phishing overall here: What is Phishing? And more to read on Vishing here: What is Vishing? .....Trend Micro
One particular Email Scam that is still landing in many email inboxes, is the "Voicemail email scam".
This "Voicemail" email notifies you of a supposed new voicemail. There might be some additional details along with the voicemail attachment or link. But the link or attachment either redirects you to a malicious phishing site or executes malicious code on your device, which can result in a Ransomware attack. If you never receive voicemails in your email or are not expecting an email like this, delete this threat possibility immediately.
Bottom line, never provide your personal information in response to an unsolicited request and never provide your password over the phone or in response to an unsolicited Internet request. If you are contacted by anyone and you are not sure, contact the institution yourself and make sure to review account statements regularly to ensure any charges are correct. And if an email seems odd or suspicious, it probably is. Report the email or just delete it.
In today's business environments, we do our best to protect all employees but the attack is never ending and everyone needs to be aware of these threats and others. The High Tech Solution has partnered with Stealth-ISS to ensure all of its customers have the necessary tools in place to keep their business safe.
