Spear phishing is an attempt to steal sensitive info such as credit card, financial, and banking info from a victim for malicious reasons.<\/p>\n
The main difference between regular phishing<\/a> is that the scammers disguise themselves as trustworthy entities or friends to steal sensitive information typically through an email.<\/a> The trust factor makes it easier for the fraudster because the victim does not have their guard up as this appears to be a trustworthy person or entity to the victim.<\/p>\n This is the most common and successful form of accessing private and confidential information. Spear phishing accounts for 91% of all cyber-attacks. Phishing criminals are becoming more sophisticated with their tactics. They can spoof phone numbers, email addresses, and websites to look legitimate and fool even the most cautious of users. Spear phishers seek out victims for a variety of reasons.<\/p>\n For example, home-buyers are targeted in money transfer scams, with the phishers<\/a> hacking into escrow company\u2019s databases to steal the contact information of home-buyers. They pose as someone from the escrow company and request a wire transfer that seems to be legitimate.<\/p>\n[aesop_image img=”https:\/\/socialcatfish.com\/scamfish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/My-Post-17.jpg” panorama=”off” imgwidth=”200″ offset=”200″ align=”center” lightbox=”on” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off”]\n Always proceed with caution if a website asks for your personal information. Do not be impulsive, which by the way is a common trait of online phishing<\/a> victims. Before you enter any information into a website, check your browser to make sure it\u2019s reliable (look for the \u201cs\u201d in the https:\/\/).<\/p>\n Look at your online profiles from a fraudster’s point of view. How much personal information are you making available for the attackers to view and access? Pay attention to your privacy settings.<\/p>\n Before you open an email or attachment, look at it. Would your friend send you a word document with macros in it? If you are not expecting it, it’s better to avoid opening it ad rising programs that could capture your username and password.<\/p>\nProtect Yourself from Spear Phishing Attacks<\/h2>\n
Think Before You Share Personal Information<\/h3>\n
Watch What You Post<\/h3>\n
Don\u2019t Open Strange Emails or Attachments<\/h3>\n[aesop_image img=”https:\/\/socialcatfish.com\/scamfish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/My-Post-18.jpg” panorama=”off” imgwidth=”200″ offset=”200″ align=”center” lightbox=”on” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off”]\n