Understanding Phishing and Its Modus Operandi, Also Learn How to Avoid This Crime

Kapanlagi.com - Technological advancements have not only brought positive impacts. Many individuals also use technology for criminal activities. Phishing is one of them. The lack of knowledge among the public is the reason why many people unknowingly become victims of phishing. Therefore, it is important for everyone to understand the meaning of phishing. 

Phishing is a crime that occurs quite frequently nowadays. Perpetrators usually commit this crime by stealing the victim's data. The awareness of the importance of protecting personal data is a separate factor that increases the likelihood of phishing crimes occurring. In addition, there are still many things that need to be known about the meaning of phishing. What are they?

To find out more about the ins and outs of phishing, let's take a look at the following discussion.

1. The Meaning of Phishing

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As previously explained, phishing is a crime that occurs quite frequently nowadays. Unfortunately, the general public's knowledge about the meaning of phishing is still very minimal. This is because the term phishing, which originates from English, is still relatively unfamiliar.

Based on the origin of the word, the term phishing is one of the words that comes from English. If translated literally, the meaning of phishing is deception. In the online English dictionary.cambridge.org, phishing is defined in more detail as a criminal act committed by deceiving someone into providing information through the internet or email that allows others to take money from their account.

2. Phishing Crime Mode

According to the website phishing.org, phishing is defined as a crime that generally occurs in the virtual world. Phishing perpetrators will deceive their targets by contacting them through email, telephone, or text messages. The perpetrator will disguise themselves as a legitimate institution to deceive the target into providing personal data such as personal identity, credit card details, banking data, and passwords.

With the information obtained, the phishing perpetrator can then claim to be the identity owner. Furthermore, the perpetrator can access important accounts such as bank accounts or application accounts used for other transactions. As a result, the victim will experience significant losses ranging from misused identity to financial losses.

3. Phishing Characteristics in Email

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Phishing crimes can be done anywhere and anytime through various media. However, one of the most common is through email. This is because email is one of the easiest contacts to spread without realizing it.

Through email, the perpetrator usually sends an email containing promotions or other offers such as cooperation. In the email, there are usually links or attachments. These links or attachments can sometimes be traps. Therefore, you should be careful. Not only by knowing the meaning of phishing, but also by knowing the characteristics of emails that have the potential for phishing.

Here are some characteristics of emails that have the potential for phishing, as reported by phishing.org.

1. Offers that are Too Good to be True

To attract the target's attention, phishing perpetrators will give offers that seem too good to be true. For example, many claim that you have won the grand prize of a lottery, received the latest mobile phone giveaway, and so on.

2. Messages in the Email Seem Pressing or Urgent

In addition, phishing emails are usually made with language that seems pressing or urgent. For example, by giving super offers in a limited time. The goal is to make the target panic and immediately comply with the commands in the email.

3. Including Unclear Links

As explained earlier, phishing emails usually include links or URLs that are unclear. Usually, the perpetrators will create a popular website that is similar to a misspelled word, for example, www.bankofarnerica.com - 'm' is actually 'r' and 'n'. So be careful before clicking.

4. Including Unclear Attachments

In addition to unclear links, phishing emails also often include unclear attachments. The attachment may contain a payload such as ransomware or other viruses. It should be noted that the only type of file that is always safe to click is a .txt file.

5. Unknown or Unclear Sender

One of the most certain characteristics, phishing emails are usually sent by people or contacts that you don't know, are not familiar, and can also be unexpected. So, find out first before opening and following the commands in the email.

4. How to Prevent Phishing

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In addition to knowing the meaning of phishing and the characteristics of emails that have the potential to contain phishing modes, there are several things that need to be done to avoid this crime. Here are some steps that can be taken to avoid phishing.

1. Be wary of calls or messages from strange and suspicious contacts.

2. Don't immediately do what is commanded by an unknown caller or message sender.

3. Increase browser and email security by applying spam filter systems.

4. Perform two-factor authentication for every banking account and other transaction applications.

5. Check banking transaction history and other transaction applications regularly. Report immediately when finding something suspicious.

Those are some explanations about the meaning of phishing and how to prevent it. Hopefully, it can be useful and help you avoid this crime!

(kpl/gen/psp)