Phishing: Don’t take the bait

Phishing is when someone uses fake emails or texts – even phone calls – to get you to share valuable personal information, like account numbers, Social Security numbers, or your login IDs and passwords. Scammers use this information to steal your money, your identity, or both. They may also try to get access to your computer or network. If you click on a link in one of these emails or texts, they can install ransomware or other programs that lock you out of your data and let them steal your personal information.

Scammers often use familiar company names or pretend to be someone you know. They pressure you to act now – or something bad will happen.

The FTC’s new infographic, developed with the American Bankers Association Foundation, offers tips to help you recognize the bait, avoid the hook, and report phishing scams.

Please share this information with your school or family, friends and co-workers. You can also test your knowledge by playing this al-luring game.

Want to avoid the latest rip-offs? Sign up for free consumer alerts from the FTC at ftc.gov/subscribe.

To read a version of this blog post in Tagalog, click here.
Upang mabasa ang bersyon ng blog post na ito sa Tagalog, mag-click dito.

To read a version of this blog post in Korean, click here.
이 블로그 포스트를 한국어로 보시려면 여기를 클릭하세요.

To read a version of this blog post in Traditional Chinese,

!

click here.
如需閱讀此篇博客的繁體中文版，請點擊這裡。

To read a version of this blog post in Simplified Chinese, click here.
如需阅读此篇博客的简体中文版，请点击这里。

Where this page came from

This page was imported from Federal Trade Commission. Published by the Federal Trade Commission and, as a work of the United States government, in the public domain; material credited to others is left out.

Nobody has written it yet — it is the source material at a new address, which is why search engines are asked to skip it and why no one earns from it. It is up for grabs: take it on, and it is yours to rewrite and to earn from.