Phishing Prevention: Best Practices and Strategies

Did you know… in 2018 there were 6,4 billion of false e-mails sent worldwide?

Have your received calls, e-mails, SMS, or other contacts which:

• Showed attractive business proposals or ways to obtain profit quickly and easily?
• Requested personal or financial data?
• Conveyed a sense of urgency when it comes to solving the presented problems?
• Displayed solutions that require some sort of payment?

1. Analyse the contact and be aware of the common signs of phishing

If you receive something with some of the features above:

• Analyse the context
• Question the sense/nature of the request
• Look for caution signs, such as typos and contacts from general domains

In case your doubts persist, confirm the veracity of the information received directly with the source, and do not disclose confidential information, such as usernames, passwords, or banking data.

2. Pay attention to suspicious links, websites, documents, and attachments

Phishing via e-mail can have a lot of ambiguous elements. In these cases, it’s important that:

• You do not use forms of contact or login via links embedded in the messages
• You check the legitimacy of links by looking for typos or small incoherencies when compared to the original website address
• You confirm whether the website is secure by placing the mouse on the corresponding padlock

In case your doubts persist, enter the URL address manually on a new tab and access the information directly on the original page, or simply don’t open those links.

3. Check your online accounts and update your antivirus and passwords regularly

• Install an antivirus software and keep it updated, protecting your devices against new
• Check your accounts regularly by getting bank account statements
• Change your passwords regularly to decrease the risk of being a victim of this type of attack