On January 20 , an email from Lynn Jurich , CEO of San Francisco-based solar firm Sunrun , popped up in a payroll department employee 's inbox . The CEO was requesting copies of all employee W-2 forms , which were about to be sent out in preparation for tax season . The employee responded quickly as requested , not realizing the W-2 forms — containing the addresses , social security numbers , and salary information for Sunrun 's nearly 4,000 employees — were actually being delivered Attack.Databreach to a scam artist . Tax season is always a busy time for scammers seeking to gain access Attack.Databreach to sensitive information , but this year attacks are coming earlier and in greater numbers than usual . The uptick has caused the IRS to release an urgent alert warning employers to be on the lookout for what they 're refering to as `` one of the most dangerous email phishing scams Attack.Phishing we ’ ve seen in a long time . '' By using email spoofing techniques , criminals are able to draft Attack.Phishing emails that look as though they are coming directly from Attack.Phishing a high-level executive at your organization . They send Attack.Phishing the message to an employee in the payroll department or HR and include a request for a list of the organization 's employees along with their W-2 forms . Their initial goal is to use the W-2 information to file fraudulent tax returns and claim refunds . But not all criminals are stopping there . Once they 've found a responsive victim , a portion are also following up with additional email requesting a wire transfer be made to an account they provide . Also referred to as business email compromise (BEC) Attack.Phishing , these attacks Attack.Phishing have claimed more than 15,000 victims and cost organizations more than $ 1 billion over the past three years . More than 100 organizations have already fallen victim to W-2 phishing scams Attack.Phishing in 2017

Just a friendly reminder that phishing scams Attack.Phishing which spoof Attack.Phishing the boss and request W-2 tax data on employees are intensifying as tax time nears . The latest victim shows that even cybersecurity experts can fall prey to these increasingly sophisticated attacks . On Thursday , March 16 , the CEO of Defense Point Security , LLC — a Virginia company that bills itself as “ the choice provider of cyber security services to the federal government ” — told all employees that their W-2 tax data was handed Attack.Databreach directly to fraudsters after someone inside the company got caught Attack.Phishing in a phisher ’ s net . Alexandria , Va.-based Defense Point Security ( recently acquired by management consulting giant Accenture ) informed current and former employees this week via email that all of the data from their annual W-2 tax forms — including name , Social Security Number , address , compensation , tax withholding amounts — were snared Attack.Databreach by a targeted spear phishing email . “ I want to alert you that a Defense Point Security ( DPS ) team member was the victim of a targeted spear phishing email that resulted in the external release Attack.Databreach of IRS W-2 Forms for individuals who DPS employed in 2016 , ” Defense Point CEO George McKenzie wrote in the email alert to employees . “ Unfortunately , your W-2 was among those released outside of DPS . ” W-2 scams Attack.Phishing start with spear phishing emails usually directed at finance and HR personnel . The scam emails will spoof Attack.Phishing a request from the organization ’ s CEO ( or someone similarly high up in the organization ) and request all employee W-2 forms . Defense Point did not return calls or emails seeking comment . An Accenture spokesperson issued the following brief statement : “ Data protection and our employees are top priorities . Our leadership and security team are providing support to all impacted employees. ” Fraudsters who perpetrate tax refund fraud prize W-2 information because it contains virtually all of the data one would need to fraudulently file someone ’ s taxes and request a large refund in their name . Scammers in tax years past also have massively phished Attack.Phishing online payroll management account credentials used by corporate HR professionals . This year , they are going after people who run tax preparation firms , and W-2 ’ s are now being openly sold in underground cybercrime stores . Tax refund fraud affects hundreds of thousands , if not millions , of U.S. citizens annually . Victims usually first learn of the crime after having their returns rejected because scammers beat them to it . Even those who are not required to file a return can be victims of refund fraud , as can those who are not actually due a refund from the IRS .

Evaldas Rimasauskas , 49 who allegedly conned Attack.Phishing two of the world 's biggest companies was arrested on fraud charges GOOGLE and Facebook have admitted they were conned out Attack.Phishing of an alleged $ 100million ( £77million ) in a phishing scam Attack.Phishing . The two world 's biggest companies fell victim after a Lithuanian man allegedly tricked Attack.Phishing employees into wiring over the money to bank accounts that he controlled , Fortune reported on Thursday . Evaldas Rimasauskas , 48 , is accused of posing as Attack.Phishing an Asia-based manufacturer and deceived Attack.Phishing the internet giants from around 2013 until 2015 . He was arrested earlier this month in Lithuania at the request of US authorities The conman is said to have forged Attack.Phishing email addresses , invoices and corporate stamps to impersonate Attack.Phishing Quanta and trick Attack.Phishing them into paying for computer supplies . Rimasauskas , who is awaiting extradition proceedings , has denied the allegations . The US Department of Justice ( DOJ ) said last month : `` Fraudulent phishing emails were sent Attack.Phishing to employees and agents of the victim companies , which regularly conducted multi-million-dollar transactions with [ the Asian ] company . '' Both Facebook and Google have confirmed the fraud and said that they had been able to recoup funds . But they did n't reveal how much money it had transferred and recouped . A Google spokeswoman said : `` We detected this fraud against our vendor management team and promptly alerted the authorities . '' `` We recouped the funds and we ’ re pleased this matter is resolved . '' A spokeswoman for Facebook added : `` Facebook recovered the bulk of the funds shortly after the incident and has been cooperating with law enforcement in its investigation . '' Security experts said the recent cyber attack highlighted how sophisticated phishing scams Attack.Phishing are being used to fool Attack.Phishing even two of the biggest tech companies .

The IRS , state tax agencies and the nation ’ s tax industry urge people to be on the lookout for new , sophisticated email phishing scams Attack.Phishing that could endanger their personal information and next year ’ s tax refund . The most common way for cybercriminals to steal Attack.Databreach bank account information , passwords , credit cards or social security numbers is to simply ask for them . Every day , people fall victim to phishing scams Attack.Phishing that cost them their time and their money . Those emails urgently warning users to update their online financial accounts—they ’ re fake . That email directing users to download a document from a cloud-storage provider ? Fake . Those other emails suggesting the recipients have a $ 64 tax refund waiting at the IRS or that the IRS needs information about insurance policies—also fake . So are many new and evolving variations of these schemes . The Internal Revenue Service , state tax agencies and the tax community are marking National Tax Security Awareness Week with a series of reminders to taxpayers and tax professionals . Phishing attacks Attack.Phishing use email or malicious websites to solicit personal , tax or financial information by posing as Attack.Phishing a trustworthy organization . Often , recipients are fooled Attack.Phishing into believing the phishing Attack.Phishing communication is from someone they trust . A scam artist may take advantage of knowledge gained from online research and earlier attempts to masquerade as Attack.Phishing a legitimate source , including presenting the look and feel of authentic communications , such as using an official logo . These targeted messages can trick Attack.Phishing even the most cautious person into taking action that may compromise sensitive data . The scams may contain emails with hyperlinks that take users to a fake site . Other versions contain PDF attachments that may download malware or viruses . Some phishing emails will appear to come from Attack.Phishing a business colleague , friend or relative . These emails might be an email account compromise . Criminals may have compromised Attack.Databreach your friend ’ s email account and begin using their email contacts to send Attack.Phishing phishing emails . Not all phishing attempts Attack.Phishing are emails , some are phone scams . One of the most common phone scams is the caller pretending to be Attack.Phishing from the IRS and threatening the taxpayer with a lawsuit or with arrest if payment is not made immediately , usually through a debit card . Phishing attacks Attack.Phishing , especially online phishing scams Attack.Phishing , are popular with criminals because there is no fool-proof technology to defend against them . Users are the main defense . When users see a phishing scam Attack.Phishing , they should ensure they don ’ t take the bait Attack.Phishing .

The IRS , state tax agencies and the nation ’ s tax industry urge people to be on the lookout for new , sophisticated email phishing scams Attack.Phishing that could endanger their personal information and next year ’ s tax refund . The most common way for cybercriminals to steal Attack.Databreach bank account information , passwords , credit cards or social security numbers is to simply ask for them . Every day , people fall victim to phishing scams Attack.Phishing that cost them their time and their money . Those emails urgently warning users to update their online financial accounts—they ’ re fake . That email directing users to download a document from a cloud-storage provider ? Fake . Those other emails suggesting the recipients have a $ 64 tax refund waiting at the IRS or that the IRS needs information about insurance policies—also fake . So are many new and evolving variations of these schemes . The Internal Revenue Service , state tax agencies and the tax community are marking National Tax Security Awareness Week with a series of reminders to taxpayers and tax professionals . Phishing attacks Attack.Phishing use email or malicious websites to solicit personal , tax or financial information by posing as Attack.Phishing a trustworthy organization . Often , recipients are fooled Attack.Phishing into believing the phishing Attack.Phishing communication is from someone they trust . A scam artist may take advantage of knowledge gained from online research and earlier attempts to masquerade as Attack.Phishing a legitimate source , including presenting the look and feel of authentic communications , such as using an official logo . These targeted messages can trick Attack.Phishing even the most cautious person into taking action that may compromise sensitive data . The scams may contain emails with hyperlinks that take users to a fake site . Other versions contain PDF attachments that may download malware or viruses . Some phishing emails will appear to come from Attack.Phishing a business colleague , friend or relative . These emails might be an email account compromise . Criminals may have compromised Attack.Databreach your friend ’ s email account and begin using their email contacts to send Attack.Phishing phishing emails . Not all phishing attempts Attack.Phishing are emails , some are phone scams . One of the most common phone scams is the caller pretending to be Attack.Phishing from the IRS and threatening the taxpayer with a lawsuit or with arrest if payment is not made immediately , usually through a debit card . Phishing attacks Attack.Phishing , especially online phishing scams Attack.Phishing , are popular with criminals because there is no fool-proof technology to defend against them . Users are the main defense . When users see a phishing scam Attack.Phishing , they should ensure they don ’ t take the bait Attack.Phishing .

The BBC recently uncovered that scammers are attempting to trick Attack.Phishing us through the abuse of multilingual character sets . By creating Attack.Phishing these lookalike sites with domain names that are almost identical to the URLs we know and trust , it ’ s made telling the difference between fake and genuine sites – and avoiding phishing scams Attack.Phishing – increasingly difficult . Research by security company Wandera revealed that people are three times more likely to fall for a phishing scam Attack.Phishing if it is on their phone . As a result , this new scam Attack.Phishing targets smartphone users , where the lookalike sites are harder to spot . A recent survey that tested the British public ’ s knowledge of scams and online security behaviours found 16 % of British adults have experienced online fraud . For phishing scams Attack.Phishing specifically , it ’ s one in ten of us . The most common age group to experience online fraud is 35 – 54 , with almost one-fifth ( 19 % ) of this demographic having fallen victim to a scam . CEO of Get Safe Online , Tony Neate , said : “ While online fraud is common , it becomes less so when you engage common sense . “ It is very easy to clone Attack.Phishing a real website and does not take a skilled developer long to produce a very professional-looking but malicious site , but if you know what to look for , it ’ s easy to stay safe. ” There are numerous ways to determine whether or not a received email is from a legitimate company trying to help , or a scammer looking to steal Attack.Databreach financial details . The initial sender is a good starting point . Take the time to look at the email address you ’ re being contacted by , not just the name . An unfamiliar address , or one that doesn ’ t correspond with the company , is a giveaway that it ’ s a fraudster . Then take a look at the greeting . If the email opens with ‘ Dear loyal customer ’ or ‘ Hello ( followed by your email address ) ’ then it ’ s another telltale sign . The real company would address you by your full name and make it personal to you . Careless slip-ups in the copy of the email are also giveaways . Does any of the grammar or spelling not sit quite right ? This is a big indicator that it ’ s a phishing scam Attack.Phishing . You wouldn ’ t expect poor language by someone from a legitimate company .

The BBC recently uncovered that scammers are attempting to trick Attack.Phishing us through the abuse of multilingual character sets . By creating Attack.Phishing these lookalike sites with domain names that are almost identical to the URLs we know and trust , it ’ s made telling the difference between fake and genuine sites – and avoiding phishing scams Attack.Phishing – increasingly difficult . Research by security company Wandera revealed that people are three times more likely to fall for a phishing scam Attack.Phishing if it is on their phone . As a result , this new scam Attack.Phishing targets smartphone users , where the lookalike sites are harder to spot . A recent survey that tested the British public ’ s knowledge of scams and online security behaviours found 16 % of British adults have experienced online fraud . For phishing scams Attack.Phishing specifically , it ’ s one in ten of us . The most common age group to experience online fraud is 35 – 54 , with almost one-fifth ( 19 % ) of this demographic having fallen victim to a scam . CEO of Get Safe Online , Tony Neate , said : “ While online fraud is common , it becomes less so when you engage common sense . “ It is very easy to clone Attack.Phishing a real website and does not take a skilled developer long to produce a very professional-looking but malicious site , but if you know what to look for , it ’ s easy to stay safe. ” There are numerous ways to determine whether or not a received email is from a legitimate company trying to help , or a scammer looking to steal Attack.Databreach financial details . The initial sender is a good starting point . Take the time to look at the email address you ’ re being contacted by , not just the name . An unfamiliar address , or one that doesn ’ t correspond with the company , is a giveaway that it ’ s a fraudster . Then take a look at the greeting . If the email opens with ‘ Dear loyal customer ’ or ‘ Hello ( followed by your email address ) ’ then it ’ s another telltale sign . The real company would address you by your full name and make it personal to you . Careless slip-ups in the copy of the email are also giveaways . Does any of the grammar or spelling not sit quite right ? This is a big indicator that it ’ s a phishing scam Attack.Phishing . You wouldn ’ t expect poor language by someone from a legitimate company .

Last week , we reported about these alarming cryptocurrency scams spreading via Twitter . These were n't your garden-variety spam posts either , but rather , fraudsters were hacking into the verified accounts of celebrities and brands in an attempt to lure Attack.Phishing unsuspecting victims . But it looks like these crypto-scammers are moving on and are now targeting other social media platforms , as well . This time , they 're gaming Facebook 's official sponsored ad system to fool Attack.Phishing eager people who are looking to make a quick profit . Read on and see what this new scheme is all about . Cybercriminals are relentlessly coming up with new tactics all the time , and it 's always good to be aware of their latest schemes . This new ploy is a classic phishing scam Attack.Phishing that 's meant to steal your personal information like your name , email and credit card numbers . And similar to other elaborate phishing scams Attack.Phishing , these cybercriminals created Attack.Phishing a bunch of fake websites , news articles and ads for that purpose . The whole ploy starts with a fake Facebook sponsored ad promoting an easy `` wealth building '' scheme . Accompanying the post is an embedded report that appears to originate from the news site CNBC . If you take the bait Attack.Phishing and click through the ad , the ruse gets more obvious . First , the link 's web address does n't belong to any CNBC domain . However , the fraudsters mimicked Attack.Phishing the look and feel of the real CNBC site so there 's a chance an unsuspecting eye might get duped Attack.Phishing . But yes sir , the entire news article is completely fraudulent , the fakest of fake news . Basically , it states that Singapore has officially adopted a certain cryptocurrency and has anointed a firm , dubbed the CashlessPay Group , to market and purchase it . Nevermind that CashlessPay sounds just like another third-rate pyramid scheme , but let 's go along for the ride , shall we ? You probably know by now that there are tons of bogus information going on in Facebook at any given time . The social media giant is trying to clean up its act , though . If you can recall , Facebook banned blockchain and cryptocurrency ads earlier this year but softened its stance by allowing pre-approved cryptocurrency advertisers to post sponsored ads . ( Ca n't resist the revenue , eh ? ) But as always , scammers have found a way to exploit this loophole to spread their scams .

Phishing Attack.Phishing is one of the most devious scams for filching your personal information , but experts say it is possible to avoid them if you know what you 're looking for . At its essence , phishing Attack.Phishing is the act of pretending to be Attack.Phishing someone or something you trust in order to trick Attack.Phishing you into entering sensitive data like your user name and password . The goal -- of course -- is to take your money . Some of the most common phishing scams Attack.Phishing are bogus emails purportedly from trustworthy institutions like the U.S.Internal Revenue Service or major banks . The more sophisticated scams are crafted to look very much like Attack.Phishing a legitimate message from a site you do business with . “ Many popular phishing scams Attack.Phishing purport to be Attack.Phishing from shipping companies , e-commerce companies , social networking websites , financial institutions , tax-preparation companies and some of the world ’ s most notable companies , ” said Norton by Symantec senior security response manager Satnam Narang via email . One of the worst cases on record was an aircraft parts CEO who was tricked Attack.Phishing into handing over more than $ 55 million – which shows that phishing scams Attack.Phishing can dupe Attack.Phishing even smart people . Fox News asked Symantec about the top phishing scams Attack.Phishing and how to avoid them . 1 . Your account has been or will be locked , disabled or suspended . `` Scare tactics are a common theme when it comes to phishing scams Attack.Phishing , '' said Narang . `` Claiming a users ’ account has been or will be locked or disabled is a call to action to the user to entice Attack.Phishing them to provide their login credentials . '' 2 . Irregular/fraudulent activity detected or your account requires a `` security '' update . `` Extending off of # 1 , scammers will also claim irregular or fraudulent activity has been detected on your account or that your account has been subjected to a compulsory 'security update ' and you need to login to enable this security update , '' Narang said . 3 . You ’ ve received a secure or important message . `` This type of phishing scam Attack.Phishing is often associated with financial institutions , but we have also seen some claiming to be Attack.Phishing from a popular e-commerce website , '' said Narang . `` Because financial institutions don ’ t send customer details in emails , the premise is that users will be more inclined to click on a link or open an attachment if it claims to be Attack.Phishing a secure or important message . '' 4 . Tax-themed phishing scams Attack.Phishing . `` Each year , tax-themed phishing scams Attack.Phishing crop up before tax-time in the U.S. and other countries , '' Narang added . `` These tax-related themes can vary from updating your filing information , your eligibility to receive a tax refund or warnings that you owe money . One thing that ’ s for sure is that the IRS doesn ’ t communicate via email or text message , they still send snail mail . '' 5 . Attachment-based phishing Attack.Phishing with a variety of themes . `` Another trend we have observed in recent years is that scammers are using the lures Attack.Phishing mentioned above , but instead of providing a link to an external website , they are attaching an HTML page and asking users to open this 'secure page ' that requests login credentials and financial information , '' according to Narang . Avast , which also develop antivirus software and internet security services , offered advice on what to look for . Ransomware , which encrypts data ( i.e. , makes it inaccessible to the user ) , tries to tap into the same fears that phishing Attack.Phishing does . The hope that the “ attacked person will panic , and pay the ransom Attack.Ransom , ” Jonathan Penn , Director of Strategy at Avast , told Fox News .

Phishing Attack.Phishing is one of the most devious scams for filching your personal information , but experts say it is possible to avoid them if you know what you 're looking for . At its essence , phishing Attack.Phishing is the act of pretending to be Attack.Phishing someone or something you trust in order to trick Attack.Phishing you into entering sensitive data like your user name and password . The goal -- of course -- is to take your money . Some of the most common phishing scams Attack.Phishing are bogus emails purportedly from trustworthy institutions like the U.S.Internal Revenue Service or major banks . The more sophisticated scams are crafted to look very much like Attack.Phishing a legitimate message from a site you do business with . “ Many popular phishing scams Attack.Phishing purport to be Attack.Phishing from shipping companies , e-commerce companies , social networking websites , financial institutions , tax-preparation companies and some of the world ’ s most notable companies , ” said Norton by Symantec senior security response manager Satnam Narang via email . One of the worst cases on record was an aircraft parts CEO who was tricked Attack.Phishing into handing over more than $ 55 million – which shows that phishing scams Attack.Phishing can dupe Attack.Phishing even smart people . Fox News asked Symantec about the top phishing scams Attack.Phishing and how to avoid them . 1 . Your account has been or will be locked , disabled or suspended . `` Scare tactics are a common theme when it comes to phishing scams Attack.Phishing , '' said Narang . `` Claiming a users ’ account has been or will be locked or disabled is a call to action to the user to entice Attack.Phishing them to provide their login credentials . '' 2 . Irregular/fraudulent activity detected or your account requires a `` security '' update . `` Extending off of # 1 , scammers will also claim irregular or fraudulent activity has been detected on your account or that your account has been subjected to a compulsory 'security update ' and you need to login to enable this security update , '' Narang said . 3 . You ’ ve received a secure or important message . `` This type of phishing scam Attack.Phishing is often associated with financial institutions , but we have also seen some claiming to be Attack.Phishing from a popular e-commerce website , '' said Narang . `` Because financial institutions don ’ t send customer details in emails , the premise is that users will be more inclined to click on a link or open an attachment if it claims to be Attack.Phishing a secure or important message . '' 4 . Tax-themed phishing scams Attack.Phishing . `` Each year , tax-themed phishing scams Attack.Phishing crop up before tax-time in the U.S. and other countries , '' Narang added . `` These tax-related themes can vary from updating your filing information , your eligibility to receive a tax refund or warnings that you owe money . One thing that ’ s for sure is that the IRS doesn ’ t communicate via email or text message , they still send snail mail . '' 5 . Attachment-based phishing Attack.Phishing with a variety of themes . `` Another trend we have observed in recent years is that scammers are using the lures Attack.Phishing mentioned above , but instead of providing a link to an external website , they are attaching an HTML page and asking users to open this 'secure page ' that requests login credentials and financial information , '' according to Narang . Avast , which also develop antivirus software and internet security services , offered advice on what to look for . Ransomware , which encrypts data ( i.e. , makes it inaccessible to the user ) , tries to tap into the same fears that phishing Attack.Phishing does . The hope that the “ attacked person will panic , and pay the ransom Attack.Ransom , ” Jonathan Penn , Director of Strategy at Avast , told Fox News .

Phishing Attack.Phishing is one of the most devious scams for filching your personal information , but experts say it is possible to avoid them if you know what you 're looking for . At its essence , phishing Attack.Phishing is the act of pretending to be Attack.Phishing someone or something you trust in order to trick Attack.Phishing you into entering sensitive data like your user name and password . The goal -- of course -- is to take your money . Some of the most common phishing scams Attack.Phishing are bogus emails purportedly from trustworthy institutions like the U.S.Internal Revenue Service or major banks . The more sophisticated scams are crafted to look very much like Attack.Phishing a legitimate message from a site you do business with . “ Many popular phishing scams Attack.Phishing purport to be Attack.Phishing from shipping companies , e-commerce companies , social networking websites , financial institutions , tax-preparation companies and some of the world ’ s most notable companies , ” said Norton by Symantec senior security response manager Satnam Narang via email . One of the worst cases on record was an aircraft parts CEO who was tricked Attack.Phishing into handing over more than $ 55 million – which shows that phishing scams Attack.Phishing can dupe Attack.Phishing even smart people . Fox News asked Symantec about the top phishing scams Attack.Phishing and how to avoid them . 1 . Your account has been or will be locked , disabled or suspended . `` Scare tactics are a common theme when it comes to phishing scams Attack.Phishing , '' said Narang . `` Claiming a users ’ account has been or will be locked or disabled is a call to action to the user to entice Attack.Phishing them to provide their login credentials . '' 2 . Irregular/fraudulent activity detected or your account requires a `` security '' update . `` Extending off of # 1 , scammers will also claim irregular or fraudulent activity has been detected on your account or that your account has been subjected to a compulsory 'security update ' and you need to login to enable this security update , '' Narang said . 3 . You ’ ve received a secure or important message . `` This type of phishing scam Attack.Phishing is often associated with financial institutions , but we have also seen some claiming to be Attack.Phishing from a popular e-commerce website , '' said Narang . `` Because financial institutions don ’ t send customer details in emails , the premise is that users will be more inclined to click on a link or open an attachment if it claims to be Attack.Phishing a secure or important message . '' 4 . Tax-themed phishing scams Attack.Phishing . `` Each year , tax-themed phishing scams Attack.Phishing crop up before tax-time in the U.S. and other countries , '' Narang added . `` These tax-related themes can vary from updating your filing information , your eligibility to receive a tax refund or warnings that you owe money . One thing that ’ s for sure is that the IRS doesn ’ t communicate via email or text message , they still send snail mail . '' 5 . Attachment-based phishing Attack.Phishing with a variety of themes . `` Another trend we have observed in recent years is that scammers are using the lures Attack.Phishing mentioned above , but instead of providing a link to an external website , they are attaching an HTML page and asking users to open this 'secure page ' that requests login credentials and financial information , '' according to Narang . Avast , which also develop antivirus software and internet security services , offered advice on what to look for . Ransomware , which encrypts data ( i.e. , makes it inaccessible to the user ) , tries to tap into the same fears that phishing Attack.Phishing does . The hope that the “ attacked person will panic , and pay the ransom Attack.Ransom , ” Jonathan Penn , Director of Strategy at Avast , told Fox News .

Phishing Attack.Phishing is one of the most devious scams for filching your personal information , but experts say it is possible to avoid them if you know what you 're looking for . At its essence , phishing Attack.Phishing is the act of pretending to be Attack.Phishing someone or something you trust in order to trick Attack.Phishing you into entering sensitive data like your user name and password . The goal -- of course -- is to take your money . Some of the most common phishing scams Attack.Phishing are bogus emails purportedly from trustworthy institutions like the U.S.Internal Revenue Service or major banks . The more sophisticated scams are crafted to look very much like Attack.Phishing a legitimate message from a site you do business with . “ Many popular phishing scams Attack.Phishing purport to be Attack.Phishing from shipping companies , e-commerce companies , social networking websites , financial institutions , tax-preparation companies and some of the world ’ s most notable companies , ” said Norton by Symantec senior security response manager Satnam Narang via email . One of the worst cases on record was an aircraft parts CEO who was tricked Attack.Phishing into handing over more than $ 55 million – which shows that phishing scams Attack.Phishing can dupe Attack.Phishing even smart people . Fox News asked Symantec about the top phishing scams Attack.Phishing and how to avoid them . 1 . Your account has been or will be locked , disabled or suspended . `` Scare tactics are a common theme when it comes to phishing scams Attack.Phishing , '' said Narang . `` Claiming a users ’ account has been or will be locked or disabled is a call to action to the user to entice Attack.Phishing them to provide their login credentials . '' 2 . Irregular/fraudulent activity detected or your account requires a `` security '' update . `` Extending off of # 1 , scammers will also claim irregular or fraudulent activity has been detected on your account or that your account has been subjected to a compulsory 'security update ' and you need to login to enable this security update , '' Narang said . 3 . You ’ ve received a secure or important message . `` This type of phishing scam Attack.Phishing is often associated with financial institutions , but we have also seen some claiming to be Attack.Phishing from a popular e-commerce website , '' said Narang . `` Because financial institutions don ’ t send customer details in emails , the premise is that users will be more inclined to click on a link or open an attachment if it claims to be Attack.Phishing a secure or important message . '' 4 . Tax-themed phishing scams Attack.Phishing . `` Each year , tax-themed phishing scams Attack.Phishing crop up before tax-time in the U.S. and other countries , '' Narang added . `` These tax-related themes can vary from updating your filing information , your eligibility to receive a tax refund or warnings that you owe money . One thing that ’ s for sure is that the IRS doesn ’ t communicate via email or text message , they still send snail mail . '' 5 . Attachment-based phishing Attack.Phishing with a variety of themes . `` Another trend we have observed in recent years is that scammers are using the lures Attack.Phishing mentioned above , but instead of providing a link to an external website , they are attaching an HTML page and asking users to open this 'secure page ' that requests login credentials and financial information , '' according to Narang . Avast , which also develop antivirus software and internet security services , offered advice on what to look for . Ransomware , which encrypts data ( i.e. , makes it inaccessible to the user ) , tries to tap into the same fears that phishing Attack.Phishing does . The hope that the “ attacked person will panic , and pay the ransom Attack.Ransom , ” Jonathan Penn , Director of Strategy at Avast , told Fox News .

Phishing Attack.Phishing is one of the most devious scams for filching your personal information , but experts say it is possible to avoid them if you know what you 're looking for . At its essence , phishing Attack.Phishing is the act of pretending to be Attack.Phishing someone or something you trust in order to trick Attack.Phishing you into entering sensitive data like your user name and password . The goal -- of course -- is to take your money . Some of the most common phishing scams Attack.Phishing are bogus emails purportedly from trustworthy institutions like the U.S.Internal Revenue Service or major banks . The more sophisticated scams are crafted to look very much like Attack.Phishing a legitimate message from a site you do business with . “ Many popular phishing scams Attack.Phishing purport to be Attack.Phishing from shipping companies , e-commerce companies , social networking websites , financial institutions , tax-preparation companies and some of the world ’ s most notable companies , ” said Norton by Symantec senior security response manager Satnam Narang via email . One of the worst cases on record was an aircraft parts CEO who was tricked Attack.Phishing into handing over more than $ 55 million – which shows that phishing scams Attack.Phishing can dupe Attack.Phishing even smart people . Fox News asked Symantec about the top phishing scams Attack.Phishing and how to avoid them . 1 . Your account has been or will be locked , disabled or suspended . `` Scare tactics are a common theme when it comes to phishing scams Attack.Phishing , '' said Narang . `` Claiming a users ’ account has been or will be locked or disabled is a call to action to the user to entice Attack.Phishing them to provide their login credentials . '' 2 . Irregular/fraudulent activity detected or your account requires a `` security '' update . `` Extending off of # 1 , scammers will also claim irregular or fraudulent activity has been detected on your account or that your account has been subjected to a compulsory 'security update ' and you need to login to enable this security update , '' Narang said . 3 . You ’ ve received a secure or important message . `` This type of phishing scam Attack.Phishing is often associated with financial institutions , but we have also seen some claiming to be Attack.Phishing from a popular e-commerce website , '' said Narang . `` Because financial institutions don ’ t send customer details in emails , the premise is that users will be more inclined to click on a link or open an attachment if it claims to be Attack.Phishing a secure or important message . '' 4 . Tax-themed phishing scams Attack.Phishing . `` Each year , tax-themed phishing scams Attack.Phishing crop up before tax-time in the U.S. and other countries , '' Narang added . `` These tax-related themes can vary from updating your filing information , your eligibility to receive a tax refund or warnings that you owe money . One thing that ’ s for sure is that the IRS doesn ’ t communicate via email or text message , they still send snail mail . '' 5 . Attachment-based phishing Attack.Phishing with a variety of themes . `` Another trend we have observed in recent years is that scammers are using the lures Attack.Phishing mentioned above , but instead of providing a link to an external website , they are attaching an HTML page and asking users to open this 'secure page ' that requests login credentials and financial information , '' according to Narang . Avast , which also develop antivirus software and internet security services , offered advice on what to look for . Ransomware , which encrypts data ( i.e. , makes it inaccessible to the user ) , tries to tap into the same fears that phishing Attack.Phishing does . The hope that the “ attacked person will panic , and pay the ransom Attack.Ransom , ” Jonathan Penn , Director of Strategy at Avast , told Fox News .

Staff are still falling for phishing scams Attack.Phishing , with social media friend requests and emails pretending to come from Attack.Phishing the HR department among the ones most likely to fool Attack.Phishing workers into handing over usernames and passwords . Phishing scams Attack.Phishing aim to trick Attack.Phishing staff into handing over data -- normally usernames and passwords -- by posing as Attack.Phishing legitimate email . It 's a technique used by the lowliest criminals as part of ransomware campaigns , right up to state-backed hackers because it continues to be such an effective method . In a review of 100 simulated attack campaigns for 48 of its clients , accounting for almost a million individual users , security company MWR Infosecurity found that sending Attack.Phishing a bogus friend request was the best way to get someone to click on a link -- even when the email was being sent Attack.Phishing to a work email address . Almost a quarter of users clicked the link to be taken through to a fake login screen , with more than half going on to provide a username and password , and four out of five then going on to download a file . A spoof email claiming to be Attack.Phishing from the HR department referring to the appraisal system was also very effective : nearly one in five clicked the link , and three-quarters provided more credentials , with a similar percentage going on to download a file . Some might argue that gaining access Attack.Databreach to a staff email account is of limited use , but the security company argues that this is a handy for an assault . A hacker could dump Attack.Databreach entire mailboxes , access Attack.Databreach file shares , run programs on the compromised user 's device , and access multiple systems , warned MWR InfoSecurity . Even basic security controls , such as two-factor authentication or disabling file and SharePoint remote access , could reduce the risk . The company also reported bad news about the passwords that users handed over : while over 60 percent of passwords were found to have a length of 8 to 10 characters -- the mandatory minimum for many organizations -- the company argued that this illustrates how users stick to minimum security requirements . A third of the passwords consisted of an upper-case first letter , a series of lower-case letters , and then numbers with no symbols . It also found that 13.6 percent of passwords ended with four numbers in the range of 1940 to 2040 . Of those , nearly half ended in 2016 , which means one-in-twenty of all passwords end with the year in which they were created .

Social media scams such as blackmail , identity theft , money laundering and dating scams are expected to gain popularity in SA this year . This is according to Kovelin Naidoo , chief cyber security officer at FNB , who explains that although social media scams in SA are not yet as prevalent as global counterparts ; the reality is that they do exist . As social media continues to gain prominence among South African consumers , Naidoo believes platforms like Instagram , Youtube , Facebook and Twitter have also become a platform where fraudsters attempt to catch unsuspecting consumers off guard . `` Given that the popularity of social media is set to remain for the coming years , consumers are encouraged to constantly educate themselves and their loved ones about the latest methods that fraudsters use to get hold of their victims ' personal information , '' adds Naidoo . Naidoo warns consumers to look out for money laundering scams - when scammers trick Attack.Phishing people through social media platforms by claiming to have large sums of cash that they need to deposit urgently through a foreign bank account and identity theft - when fraudsters steal Attack.Databreach information and use it illegally by impersonating victims . `` Social media blackmail is another scam to watch out for - never share personal photos or videos on social media that portray you in a compromising position as scammers can use these against you by threatening to send them to close family members or upload them on public platforms . Another scam to gain traction is a social media phishing scam Attack.Phishing , where fraudsters pretend to represent Attack.Phishing the victim 's bank on social media platforms , '' advises Naidoo . Manuel Corregedor , COO of Telspace Systems , says consumers who use social media platforms to meet companions or their life partners should also look out for dating or romance scams . `` In these scams , criminals play on the emotions of victims in order to scam them out of money i.e . they target certain profiles based on age , gender and marital status . Once connected , the criminal starts to 'build a relationship ' , with the victim as a means to get them to like or love them . Once this happens , the criminal plays on the victim 's emotions as a means to get money from the client . '' It is necessary to create an awareness around such scams and educate people , advises Corregedor . However , it should be noted , that these scams are not new - they existed before social media . Additional things users can do to protect themselves online is to only add people on social media sites , in particular Facebook , that they have met in person before ; restrict who can see your photos , posts , and look out for the following signs that it might be a scam . Denis Makrushin , security researcher at Kaspersky Lab , says that social media chain letters and phishing Attack.Phishing is also expected to gain traction this year . `` Some social media messages ask recipients to send a small sum of money to certain addressees . Cyber criminals use chain letters to distribute malware - a letter may contain a link to a malicious Web site . A recipient is lured Attack.Phishing into visiting the site on some pretext or other , for example they are warned about a virus epidemic and are offered the possibility to download an 'antivirus program ' . `` Furthermore phishing scams Attack.Phishing via social media messages are also markedly more detailed and sophisticated than the average phishing e-mail . For example , one might be a security alert saying that someone just tried to sign into your account from such and such address using such and such browser - all you have to do is click the link to check that everything 's OK , '' he explains . Naidoo advises social media users to never share their banking details with strangers and to think twice before sending money to someone you recently met online or have n't met in person yet .