Activity 4

Catching Phish

Fishing

If I went fishing what would I be doing?

On the Internet fishing (phishing) is similar!

On the internet people trying to get your personal information

(fish or phish) by sending out lots of messages (bait).

Phishing

Phishing – the attempt to get personal information like usernames, passwords, and card details by pretending to

be a person you can trust.

Identity Theft

People sending phishing emails are trying to get information from

you.

Full name

Date of birth and where you were born

Current and previous addresses and phone numbers

Driver’s license or passport number

Account numbers and the companies

Where you hold accounts (e.g., Amazon, PayPal, etc.)

Passwords

An example...

Spotting the Fakes

Fake emails try to trick you into giving your account information

and passwords

Think! Why are they asking for information they should already

know?

(Companies and Banks you use should already have your information)

Urgent response required:

When the message says you have a limited time to

respond, it is often the sign of a scam.

Spelling errors:

Scam emails often include spelling and grammar

mistakes.

A real company would not send out messages containing

mistakes.

Link in email or attachment:

Phishing emails often have a link in the email or an attachment that they ask you

to click on

This might link you to a site, or form where you give your

information to criminals.

Too good to be true:

Scam emails often offer things too good to be true, like the chance to win free money or

prizes.

You might see an email that is not personally addressed to you.

Proper emails from companies will be addressed to you, personally.

Identity thieves try to make you worry that something is wrong with your account.

To fix it you must respond to the email quickly to fix it.

Activity

Look at the examples of emails on the sheet.

Can you see anything which might mean they are fake phishing messages?

Highlight anything suspicious on the picture.

Answers

Did you spot the fakes?

Remember

Avoid opening the message or email in the first place

Do not click on any links or download any attachments.

They might contain viruses or spyware.

Do not reply!

Mark as “junk mail” or “spam” and delete messages.

You can also report problems on a social network site.

Some ways of asking for your details are cleverer than others!