In today's digital age, the threat of falling victim to phishing and advanced AI scams is more widespread than ever. Cybercriminals are constantly finding new ways to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information or falling for fraudulent schemes.
Believe it or not, this is more common than you think, so everyone must be aware of these threats and take proactive measures to protect themselves online. Let's talk about some important steps you can take to safeguard yourself from phishing and advanced AI scams.
Understanding Phishing and Advanced AI Scams
Phishing is a prevalent form of social engineering that involves deceitful efforts to obtain personal information from individuals. This cyber attack method entails scammers using fake emails, messages, or websites to deceive people into disclosing sensitive details like passwords, credit card numbers, or social security numbers.
Advanced AI scams utilize artificial intelligence technology to produce extremely convincing and personalized messages that are challenging to differentiate from authentic communications.
Tips to Protect Yourself
Be Vigilant
Always be cautious when receiving unsolicited emails or messages asking for personal information.
Double-check the sender's email address or contact information to ensure it is legitimate.
Avoid Clicking Suspicious Links
Avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources.
Hover over links to see the actual URL before clicking on them.
Keep Software Updated
Regularly update your operating system, antivirus software, and other applications to protect against known vulnerabilities. Make sure to download software only from sources you can trust.
Use Two-Factor Authentication
Enable two-factor authentication whenever possible to add an extra layer of security to your accounts. From my understanding and research, and for people that are not working in tech, the most common reason why people are yet to embrace this step is "it's annoying to do so many steps"
Educate Yourself
Stay informed about the latest phishing techniques and scams by reading cybersecurity blogs and news articles.
Attend training sessions or workshops to learn how to recognize and avoid phishing attempts.
Verify Requests for Information
If you receive a request for sensitive information, verify the legitimacy of the request by contacting the company or organization directly through official channels.
What to do when receiving these scams
If you receive a suspicious email that looks like it's supposed to be from a legit company but it isn't, please forward it to the relative department. A quick google search and you will find the correct email.
If you receive a suspicious FaceTime call (for example, from what looks like a bank or financial institution), email a screenshot of the call information. To find the call information, open FaceTime and tap the More Info button next to the suspicious call.
To report a suspicious SMS text message that looks like it's supposed to be from a company you trust, take a screenshot of the message and email the screenshot.
To report spam that you receive in your email inbox, mark the spam emails as junk When you mark an email as junk, you help improve email filtering and reduce future spam.
You can also block unwanted messages and calls.
Learn how to identify social engineering attacks, recognize phishing messages, handle fraudulent phone calls, and avoid other online scams.
Impersonation and manipulation are tactics employed by social engineering attackers to initially earn your trust and confidence. Subsequently, they deceive you into divulging sensitive information or granting them access to your account details. These attackers utilize a range of strategies to mimic a reputable company, entity, or familiar individual.
Look out for these indicators to recognize if you are being singled out as a target in a social engineering attack:
A scammer may call you from what appears to be a legitimate phone number for This is called “spoofing.” If the call seems suspicious, consider hanging up and dialing the vetted number for the company yourself.
Scammers often mention personal information about you in an attempt to build trust and seem legitimate. They may refer to information that you consider private, such as your home address, place of employment, or even your Social Security number.
They will often convey a desire to help you resolve an immediate problem. For example, they may claim that someone broke into your phone or email account, or made unauthorized charges using Apple Pay / Google Pay / CC. The scammer will claim they want to help you stop the attacker or reverse the charges.
The scammer usually creates a strong sense of urgency to avoid giving you time to think and to dissuade you from contacting the company yourself, directly. For example, the scammer may say that you’re free to call back, but the fraudulent activities will continue and you will be liable. This is false, and designed to prevent you from hanging up.
Eventually scammers will request your account information or security codes. Typically they will send you to a fake website that looks like a real sign-in page and insist that you verify your identity. Reputable companies will never ask you to log in to any website, or to tap accept in the two-factor authentication dialog, or to provide your password, device passcode, or two-factor authentication code or to enter it into any website.
Sometimes, scammers will ask you to disable security features like two-factor authentication or Stolen Device Protection. They will claim that this is necessary to help stop an attack or to allow you to regain control of your account. However, they are trying to trick you into lowering your security so that they can carry out their own attack. Reputable companies will never ask you to disable any security feature on your device or on your account.
To safeguard against phishing and advanced AI scams, it is essential to remain vigilant, well-informed, and proactive with security measures. By staying up-to-date on current cybersecurity risks, you can lower the chances of becoming a target of online scams.
Remember to always think twice before sharing personal information online and trust your instincts if something seems suspicious.
Stay safe and secure in the digital world!
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