07-23-2020 , 05:18 PM
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/07/23/g...came-from/
Larry Magid: Gmail anti-phishing technology looks promising
By Larry Magid | larry@larrymagid.com |
PUBLISHED: July 23, 2020 at 8:48 a.m. | UPDATED: July 23, 2020 at 8:59 a.m.
Larry Magid: Gmail anti-phishing technology looks promising
Quote:Despite the safeguards, consumers must remain vigilant to protect themselves from fraudsters.
Phishing is one of the internet’s biggest security risks. That’s when a scammer sends you an email that appears to come from a legitimate source, like your bank or a government agency. There’s usually a link for you to click that takes you to a website that may look exactly like the real one, but it’s designed to trick you into providing information — such as log-in credentials — that can be used for a number of nefarious purposes.
Phishing attacks are often part of financial crimes, to get access to your bank accounts, credit cards, or other ways to separate you from your money. But they can also be used to hack an organization or even a political campaign. They are extremely dangerous and far too effective, which is one of the reasons I urge people not to click on links that come via email, especially if they lead to a site that asks you to log-in with confidential credentials. Instead, type in what you know to be the real address of the site and double-check by looking at the address bar to make sure it’s the correct URL. If you bank at Chase, for example, their web address should end in chase.com.
By Larry Magid | larry@larrymagid.com |
PUBLISHED: July 23, 2020 at 8:48 a.m. | UPDATED: July 23, 2020 at 8:59 a.m.