Initially, emails were the primary method adopted by such individuals; however, with the growing popularity of social media networks and Smartphones, the various methods of attack have started to expand and grow wide open 





The most common phishing attack entails sending an unsolicited email to an end user, this email will usually contain a link to another website (such as PayPal or Facebook), however, when the user clicks on the link, unbeknownst to him/her they will be taken to a counterfeit site, where they will be asked to input their confidential details.







Other forms of phishing attacks are as follows:

SMS asking you to submit confidential information. 

Hackers sending private messages to users on Facebook that contain a link to a counterfeit Facebook site.

With that said, below are 10 of the most effective ways of preventing phishing attacks. 


1. Learn How to Identify Phishing Emails

There are a number of qualities that if one is aware of; they can use to identify such emails. These are the following:

The email will ask you to click on a link to go through to an official website. Most companies, especially those that retain sensitive data, will ask you to put the URL into the address box manually. 

The email will make a claim that your membership or access to a particular service has expired, despite the fact that you do not have an account with that particular service. 

The email address of the sender will have an unusual mix of characters and numbers in it.

2. Try to Minimize Link Clicking

There’s nothing wrong with you, when click on links on sites that you know and trust. However, clicking on links found in instant messages and unsolicited emails may not always be the best idea. The vast majority of phishing attacks comes through hyperlinks, which is why it’s important you’re cognizant of everything you click on. Try hovering over links before clicking on them, that way you can make sure it leads to where it’s supposed to. 


3. Only Send Personal Information over the Phone or Secure Websites

When attempting to purchase or access a service over the internet, always look for a sign that the website is secure, such as the “https:”, where “s” standards for “secure”, rather than the typical “http:” websites. 


You should also be aware of the many phone phishing scams out there. Never divulge any personal information over the phone, unless you were the one that initiated the phone call. You should also be doubly cautious when asked to phone a specific number in order to update your account details. 


4. Regularly Check Your Online Accounts

If you haven’t visited an old account in a while, it’s quite possible that someone may have accessed it and could be doing all kinds of nasty things on it. This is why it’s very important you regularly check all your accounts and also get into the habit of regularly changing your passwords. 




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