There's been an alarming number of phishing scams identified this year and these emails are getting more clever and realistic than ever.
The latest phishing email you need to keep an eye out for disguises itself as an iTunes email. Much like the Amazon phishing scam we showed you, this email claims that you have been overcharged for a download purchase, $25 for one song, which is usually $1.99 or less, or $45 for the Netflix app.
The email will show you a very official-looking billing statement and will encourage you to click a link that says, "Cancel andx Manage Subscriptions." But, because you're a Komando.com reader, you'll notice the typo in the link and know that's red flag number one.
Whatever you do, don't click that link. It could take you to a malicious site that can steal all of your valuable information, then it's game over.
If you think you really might have been overcharged, check your bank statements first before clicking any links.
Just being in the know about these emails is step one. There are other steps you can take to keep yourself safe from these phishing attempts. If you see an email like this in your inbox:
- Be sure to exercise caution before you click on anything. Hover over any links and see where they direct before you click. If the links provided go to a website, don't click it. Navigate to the company's site yourself without the link.
- Take some time and try to spot the typos.
- If you're not sure that you can spot the signs, click here to take our phishing IQ test to see how many stand out to you.
- Practice multi-level authentication, which means you have at least two forms of verification, such as a password and a security question before you log into any sensitive accounts.
- Another thing is to have an internet security system. We recommend our sponsor Kaspersky Lab. Software from Kaspersky Lab can recognize and block ransomware. Even if it's a new version or unknown version of a ransomware, Kaspersky Lab can figure out that the program is doing something it shouldn't. Kaspersky Lab will stop it from running and will roll back any files that were encrypted to a previous non-encrypted version. Of course, Kaspersky Lab software also helps filter out and warn you about phishing scams, so your odds of downloading a ransomware virus are slim. Get this protection, and so much more, with Kaspersky Total Security.
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Kevin Cottrell
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