In the age of technology, taking steps to prioritize cybersecurity and privacy are more important than ever. But when fraud tactics are nearly as expansive as the world wide web, it can be a challenge to know where to begin. There are many ways to protect your privacy, and recognizing the signs of phishing is one of them. Phishing attempts are fraudulent online messages designed to appear valid and from a trusted source. A popular ploy among scammers is to include these messages as links or attachments in emails to expose recipients to malware or even trick them into revealing their personal data. Preventing a scam from happening is much easier than recovering from one, and the good news is that you can take steps today to better protect your privacy. Here are three steps you can take to better protect your personal devices and data.

Recognize the common signs.
There are a few trademarks found in many scams. Be on the lookout for the following if you believe an online correspondence you've received from an unknown source seems off:

• Urgent or emotionally appealing language
• Requests to send personal or financial information
• Unexpected attachments
• Email addresses that do not match the supposed sender
• Improper writing/grammatical errors (less common)

Resist and report phishing attempts.
Now that you're familiar with how to recognize a phishing attempt, you'll also need to know how to respond. You can report suspicious messages by utilizing the "report scam" feature within your email application or mobile device. If the phishing attempt mimics an organization you trust, you should also report it by contacting them directly.

Delete unknown and unwanted messages.
After you've reported a suspected phishing attempt, do not interact with it any further. Don't open any links or attachments within the message, including any "unsubscribe" links as even these can be cleverly disguised attempts to steal your data or install malware on your device. It's best to just delete the message.

When navigating this heavily digital world, practicing caution online can help keep you and your data more secure. A good rule of thumb when dealing with suspicious links is to trust your instincts – if something feels off, it likely is. If there's a possibility the message is legitimate, notify the organization immediately to verify. Avoiding phishing attempts is one step we can take in the journey to secure our world. For additional fraud tips and information, please visit our Fraud Prevention & Alerts page.