email address claiming to be PayPal<\/a>.<\/strong> The email copies the wording from real PayPal emails, and tells the target that there has been some suspicious activity on their account. The aim is to urge the victim to act without thinking too much. The email contains a login button, and attempts to collect the password by tricking the target into logging in using the given link.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAlways take the time to examine every email<\/strong>, regardless of how urgent the matter may seem. Whatever it is, it can wait five minutes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAnother common example of clone phishing includes a fake email that appears to be from a trusted airline offering the target a refund.<\/strong> The aim of such emails, in many cases, is to gather sensitive data, such as bank account details.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Discern Clone Phishing Emails from Legitimate Ones<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As previously mentioned, clone phishing emails aim to appear as though they were sent from a well-known, legitimate company. Common characteristics of clone phishing are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Spelling and grammatical errors<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Suspicious links<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Email addresses slightly different from official ones<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Urgent messages<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Since cybercriminals who use clone phishing attempt to trick you into handing out your personal information, they will often either say you need to act quickly or create a scenario where you\u2019d feel you need to solve the problem immediately, using the solution they offered you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to Defend Yourself Against Clone Phishing Attacks?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
To avoid falling for a clone phishing scam, scrutinize every email you get, no matter how legitimate it may appear. The first step is to look for the malicious email signs mentioned in the previous section. Take the following steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Check the validity of the sender\u2019s address.<\/strong> The scam address usually looks almost identical to that of the company the scammer is impersonating. However, there might be a missing letter, or another tiny difference indicating that the email isn\u2019t official.
<\/li>\n\n\n\n- Look for any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors in the email.<\/strong> Sometimes, the writers of these phishing emails aren\u2019t native speakers, so the text might contain very obvious mistakes. In other cases, there may be no mistakes at all, making it a bit more challenging to recognize scam emails.
<\/li>\n\n\n\n- Don\u2019t click on any links until you confirm the email is legitimate. <\/strong>Make sure that the URL starts with HTTPS, not HTTP. You can also use a link checker to ensure the link isn\u2019t malicious, and check whether the hyperlink matches the URL. You can do this by hovering your cursor over the link, without clicking.
<\/li>\n\n\n\n- Use spam filters. <\/strong>Although not always accurate, they can be helpful if you\u2019re getting tons of emails daily. This software analyzes the content of the email, its origin, and what software was used to send it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
If, after following these steps, you find the email doesn\u2019t feature any of these characteristics, but are still suspicious, you can contact the email sender via a separate message. However, make sure to type the address that you find on the official website of the company claiming to contact you<\/strong>. If the email turns out to be malicious, you should report it.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFinal Comments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In this article, we presented the clone phishing definition and common clone phishing attack examples, explained how to distinguish legitimate emails from clone phishing ones, and how people can protect themselves from these attacks. It\u2019s up to you to be careful and avoid letting these sneaky con artists take advantage of you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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