Phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
Typically phishing messages have been associated with poor English and frequent misspellings. However, this is not the case in modern phishing, as they are usually very realistic replicas.
The best defense against phishing messages is to not select the links embedded in messages which are sent to you or utilize log in fields embedded within the messages themselves. Instead, manually type in the trusted entities address into your browser from what you know the address to be (not just copying it from the message, or utilize a previously saved bookmark).
Some additional tips on how to protect yourself from phishing attempts include:
- Be sensible and smart when browsing online.
- Be on the lookout for suspicious email addresses.
- Make sure you are browsing securely online by using HTTPS.