It’s an attempt to steal your personal information, usually via a fraudulent email message or phone call. The people who do this pose as representatives of trusted, well-known organizations and ask for information that will allow them to impersonate their victims.
How can I protect myself?
Be Wary
Plenty of phishing attempts may have spelling, grammar, or other glaring errors that can tip you off it’s a phish–but just as many don’t. Some of the most sophisticated phishing attempts will appear to come from people you trust.
Be wary of emails that ask you to open a file, click on a link, or enter information into a form. Be especially careful of emails that ask you to enter your Access Account information. Remember: you wouldn’t give a stranger the keys to your apartment. When you give up your account information, you’re doing the same thing to your digital space.
Confirm Before you Click
Use caution and trust your instincts.
If an email seems suspicious, call the sender or email them directly. If you click on a phishing email “just to check” if it’s really from a friend, coworker or classmate, it may already be too late. Even clicking on that link can infect your system will malware or other malicious code.
Details Matter
Sometimes, but not always, a phishing attempt will try to use information that they know about your organization to create a more authentic-sounding message. Read the message carefully and think about the style and tone: does it match how the sender would usually write? Does it use terms that your organization does not?