Protect yourself from phishing and identity theft
Phishing attacks — online trolling for personal information in order to raid your financial accounts — are soaring. According to cyber-security experts at RSA, phishing attacks jumped 37 percent last year and have proven to be exceptionally costly, with the average attack resulting in $4,500 in stolen funds.
With National Consumer Protection week on the horizon, Visa (V) is attempting to help consumers spot phishing attacks before they’re taken. The credit card company has published an online guide to the tell-tale signs that you’re being phished. Admittedly, the warning signs have gotten far more subtle in the past few years — and a really good con artist can appear legitimate to even the most diligent consumer. In some cases, con artists even have access to some of your personal information already, like your name and maybe even the last few digits of your credit card number.
But there are still 5 simple ways to catch a phishing attempt before it catches you. Specifically:
