Phishing is a form of cyber attack in which scammers pose as trustworthy entities to steal personal information. In this article, we will explain various phishing examples so that you can become more knowledgeable about potential phishing attacks on you or your organization.
Examples of phishing mail
Email phishing is a common method in which scammers impersonate well-known entities, such as banks or social media platforms. They send fake emails to trick users into obtaining sensitive information. Phishing emails are becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from the real thing. Where it used to be obvious to many people, with a prince from the Far East, for example, today it is not. Thus spoofing, or typosquatting, is used, and the layout is often indistinguishable from the real thing.
Some examples of email phishing include:
- Classic phishing emails that impersonate trusted institutions, such as banks or social media platforms.
- Targeted phishing emails that are tailored to specific individuals or organizations.
- Invoice fraud involves email scams that use fake invoices, payment requests or lottery winnings to lure victims.
Phishing websites
Phishing websites are counterfeit websites that look like legitimate organizations or online services. They try to trick users into entering login credentials or sensitive information. Here are some examples of phishing websites:
- Cloned: Cloned Web sites that mimic legitimate organizations or online services.
- Sensitive information: Phishing websites that prompt users to enter login credentials or sensitive information.
- Fake products: Fake e-commerce websites that sell counterfeit or non-existent products.
Smishing & Vishing.
Phishing via SMS (also called “smishing”) and phone calls (vishing) are another form of phishing attacks. Some examples of these attacks include:
- Account verification: Text messages requesting personal information or account verification.
- Links: Smishing attacks that use misleading URLs in text messages.
- Entities: Phone calls where scammers impersonate customer service or government agencies.
- Whatsapp fraud: This is a form of fraud that is booming. Scammers often pretend to be the son or daughter of the victim. They end up being asked to pay a bill or transfer money.
Phishing through Social Media
Scammers also use social media platforms to carry out phishing attacks. Here are some examples of social media phishing:
- Links: Phishing links shared through social media platforms, messages or posts.
- Login pages: Fake social media login pages designed to steal user credentials.
Spear Phishing
Spear phishing is a targeted form of phishing in which scammers target specific individuals or organizations. Here are some examples:
- Targeted phishing attacks on specific individuals or organizations.
- Personalized phishing emails that use publicly available information.
- Spear phishing campaigns that incorporate sophisticated social manipualtion.
Read more about spear phishing.
These are some examples of phishing. Of course, there are many more and they are also increasingly difficult to recognize. As an organization, it is therefore important to make your employees your strongest form of defense. One way to do this is by offering phishing simulations and security awareness training. Emploware can support you in this and we offer various services in the field of cyber security.