Phishing is a type of cyberattack in which scammers attempt to trick individuals into providing sensitive information, such as login credentials, financial details, or personal data, by posing as legitimate entities. Yesterday, a phishing email somehow squeezed through my various layers of malware protection and landed in my inbox. The email thanked me for the purchase of “device protection” and then, in bold letters below, listed a phone number I could call if I wanted to cancel—the point at which someone would try to extract information from me.
The email featured several hallmarks
of a scam. First, the sender's email address did not match the company name.
Second, the grammar was wonky, as revealed in this sample: “Within a
day, USD 375.99 will be taken out of your account. If you would want to cancel
or request a refund, please contact our customer service staff right once.”
Honestly, it takes a lot for me to
resist the urge to call the number and try to confuse or frustrate the
scammers, but that would give them an opportunity to obtain my phone number.
—Mitchell Hegman
