How to Spot Email Phishing Scams
1. Be wary of emails from strangers. Be careful about opening emails from people you don’t know and be extra attentive if someone is asking you for personal information.
2. Think twice about urgent requests. Do not engage with emails from strangers urgently asking you to share personal information, especially things like bank account details, home addresses, or a credit card number.
3. Hover before you click a link. If you have any doubt about an email being from a trusted source, don’t click on links in the body. Either type the website address directly into the URL bar yourself, or hover your cursor over the link to ensure the URL does not link to a malicious site.
4. Ignore password resets you didn’t submit. Many password reset requests are attempts by bad actors to get you to engage and inadvertently allow access to your account. If you didn’t request a password reset, just delete the email.
Source: Google Safety and Security Blog
Tips for Spotting Phone and Text Scams
1. Don’t click on links sent through texts. Links sent through texts are a popular way scammers try to trick you. Do not click on links in texts, especially from people you don’t know. Never download apps sent to you through text messages from unknown sources.
2. Don’t share temporary credentials. Two-factor verification is designed to keep you safer, so temporary passwords, links or passcodes should never be shared. No legitimate business will ever ask for you to share your two-factor verification information.
3. Avoid urgent requests from callers. Like emails, be wary of urgent callers requesting sensitive information over the phone, especially as it relates to money or personal information. On the Android Phone app, you can mark all calls from a number as spam to stop getting more calls from them and to report the spammer.
4. Listen to the warnings from built-in protections. Security features in your apps and phone are there to help warn you when something seems suspicious, sending you a notification to caution when a message sent to your phone that could be used to steal your personal information.
Source: Google Safety and Security Blog
