Did you know phishing has evolved from just email scams to bigger and better channels?
It used to be the case that a malicious email claiming to be your bank would email you to extract your bank details and scam you out of money. Today this is not the case, many people can spot these emails and those who cannot are still protected by new practices and everyday technologies.
Cyber criminals know this, and they have been improving their phishing techniques with each attempt. Phishing is no longer just an email scam; it has spread to other fronts of our technologically advanced lives.
Let's see how many of these phishing scams you have heard of.
Scam 1 - Phishing
The original email scam. This is the original one where you get an email from cybercriminals pretending to be someone else, like a bank or company, and asking for sensitive information.
Scam 2 - Spear Phishing
This is very similar to phishing but the cybercriminal has researched you beforehand, including details like your name or address, to make the scam more believable. They will typically try to convince you to give up further sensitive information, which they can use to scam you.
Scam 3 - Vishing
This one is called vishing because it is the voice call version of phishing. You get a call from an unknown number and the caller pretends to be from a familiar company, asking for details or to get you to make a payment. The best way to avoid vishing scams is to hang up and call the original company yourself.
Scam 4 - Smishing
Another version of phishing, this time through SMS, therefore smishing. You get an SMS asking you to click on a link, a bad link, to compromise your cyber security. The best way to approach these is the same way you would normal phishing, carefully analyze these odd messages and never click on the links.
Scam 5 - Whaling
This is the big one and therefore appropriately named whaling. Cybercriminals meticulously plan and research over a long period of time to target someone of affluence or power. Typical targets include CEOs or other high-ranking professionals.
The payout on these scams is relatively much larger than normal, similar to catching a whale instead of a fish.
So, how many have you heard of?
Whether your answer is 1,3 or all, phishing scams are very common and increasing and improving every day. The abovementioned phishing scams are just the top 5 that have emerged and become widespread over the decades.
There are many more that are just as, if not more, effective and damaging to dealerships everywhere. We are professionals ready to protect your dealership from all sorts of scams and cyber threats. Do not become a victim to phishing, vishing, whaling or cybercriminals in general and protect your business.
If you need a higher level of protection to avoid these evolving cyber threats, contact us first.
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