Your personal identifying information can potentially be stolen in a number of ways, but phishing is one of the most popular methods used by criminals. Spear phishing is one of the newer methods identity thieves use to steal other people’s information. But what is spear phishing? In this article, ID Screen answers that question and gives advice on how you can avoid becoming a victim.
What Is Spear Phishing? ID Screen Explains
While most types of phishing target large and random groups of businesses or individuals, spear phishing is more targeted. It’s a technique that sends personalised messages to specific organisations or individuals based on their publicly available information.
Another way to look at typical phishing techniques versus spear phishing techniques is to compare them to different methods used to catch fish. For example, typical phishing techniques involve casting a wide net over a large, indiscriminate group. Spear phishing, however, involves singling out and “spearing” one individual or business. The goal is to collect confidential information that can be used for fraudulent purposes.
The IRS includes spear phishing within its “Dirty Dozen” list of tax scams. While criminals may increase their spear phishing efforts around tax season, it’s possible to become a victim of a spear phishing crime at any time of the year.
What Is Spear Phishing? ID Screen Says These Are Popular Methods
How can you tell if someone is trying to target you with a spear phishing scheme? There are a few different spear phishing techniques criminals like to use. Here are some of the more well-known examples.
Ransomware
When answering the question, “What is spear phishing?” you have to include ransomware. Sometimes, criminals will hold your sensitive information or your physical device hostage until you pay a ransom. They might obtain control of your device or information by posing as a family member or friend and sending you a link to what they claim is a funny or entertaining video. When you click on the link, the scammer can take control of your device and hold it for ransom until you pay up.
Malicious Attachments
Sometimes, a scammer will send a malicious attachment directly to you in an email. The attachment may look like something legitimate, such as an invoice, when it’s actually malware or spyware. If you open the attachment, you may give the scammer access to your online activity and passcodes.
CEO Fraud Scams
CEO fraud scams often come in the form of an email that appears to be from the CEO of a company to an employee. The person posing as the CEO usually asks the employee to make an urgent wire transfer to a “contractor.” In reality, the employee is sending the funds to the spear phisher.
What Is Spear Phishing? Get Protection From ID Screen
By now, you should be able to confidently answer, “What is spear phishing?” These scams can be incredibly sophisticated and convincing. To prevent falling victim to them, ID Screen recommends safeguarding yourself. We can offer full identity security for your bank accounts, email addresses, credit cards, and other personally identifiable information. Sign up today and get the identity protection you need from spear phishing and other types of identity theft.
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/dirty-dozen
https://www.journalofaccountancy.com/news/2023/apr/dirty-dozen-irs-scam-list-includes-spear-phishing-warning-tax-pros.html
https://us.norton.com/blog/malware/what-spear-phishing
