Phishing scams are messages designed to look like they’re from a trusted source. You may open what you thought was a safe email, attachment or image only to find you have been exposed to malware or a scammer looking for your personal data. You can take precautions to protect your data. Be aware of the signs and report phishing to protect devices and data.
Recognize the common signs
- Urgent or emotionally appealing language.
- Requests to send personal or financial information.
- Unexpected attachments.
- Untrusted shortened URLs.
- Email addresses that do not match the supposed sender.
- Poor writing.
Resist and report
Think before you click. More than 90% of successful cyberattacks start with a phishing email. If you receive a suspected phishing email, immediately report the email to abuse@k-state.edu.
Delete
Delete the message. Don’t reply or click on any attachment or link, including any “unsubscribe” link. The unsubscribe button could also carry a link used
for phishing. Just delete.
If a message looks suspicious, it’s probably phishing. But even if there’s a possibility it could be real, don’t click any link, attachment or call any number.
Look up another way to contact a company or person directly: Go to a company’s website to find their contact information. Call the individual at a known number and confirm whether they sent the message
