Email and text make our lives easier—but they also make it easier for scammers to reach us. Don’t take the bait.
Email and text make our lives easier—but they also make it easier for scammers to reach us. If you’ve been online at all over the past couple of decades, chances are you’ve encountered phishing. Even if you didn’t take the bait, you’ve probably seen the red flags: someone claiming they need help moving millions of dollars (and they’ll “reward” you for your help), a surprise lottery win you never entered, or a supposedly urgent message from your bank asking you to “verify” your account details.
These are all classic examples of social engineering—when someone lures you into giving up sensitive personal information like your Social Security number, credit card details, passwords, or banking credentials. And these days, this kind of scam is more sophisticated than ever.
What Phishing Looks Like Today
Modern phishing attempts are often polished and convincing. Scammers pose as trusted entities—your bank, a popular streaming service, or even a coworker. The emails or texts look real. They include logos, familiar language, and sometimes even spoofed email addresses. One click on a link, and you might be taken to a site that looks identical to the real thing, where you’re asked to enter your login credentials or payment information.
Don’t fall for it.
Behind that link is typically a fake site designed to reel in your personal information. From there, scammers can steal your identity, empty your bank account, or commit fraud in your name. And unfortunately, phishing continues to be big business. According to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2024 crime report, Americans lost $16.6 billion to fraud and cybercrime last year, up 33% from 2023.
How to Protect Yourself
Phishing isn’t going away, but you can reduce your risk significantly with a few good habits:
- Think before you click. If an email, text, or message asks you to provide personal information, stop and verify it independently. Go directly to the official website—don’t use the links in the message.
- Look for red flags. Poor grammar, odd URLs, urgent or threatening language, or email addresses that are slightly “off” are all signs something’s not right.
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA). This adds an extra layer of protection even if someone gets your password.
- Use up-to-date security tools. Modern antivirus software and email filters do a good job catching many phishing attempts before they reach you.
- Report phishing attempts. Forward suspicious emails to the company being impersonated and to the FTC at reportphishing@apwg.org.
What to Do If You Get Hooked
If you think you’ve been phished, act fast:
- Change your passwords immediately—starting with your email and financial accounts.
- Monitor your bank and credit card accounts for unusual activity.
- Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at www.identitytheft.gov. Or, if you’ve been the victim of a cybercrime, you can file a complaint with the FBI at www.ic3.gov.
- Consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze with major credit bureaus.
Bottom Line
The rule of thumb still applies: never share anything over email or text that you wouldn’t want posted on a billboard. Stay cautious, stay updated, and remember—real companies won’t ask for sensitive info over email.