Are You at Risk Of Being Phished? Take Our Free Test Now

Data leaks of personal information increase the threat from phishing.

(Photo: The Quint)

Phishing scams have been around since the inception of internet. These are cyber attacks used to steal users' data such as login credentials, credit card numbers, and other personal information. The victims are tricked by scammers into clicking on a malicious link with the aim to persuade them to enter confidential information.

Identifying phishing can be harder than you think. Take our free test to measure your susceptibility to phishing.

With rising phishing cases around the globe, anti-phishing apps have become a necessity. If you're at a potential threat of being phished, install these applications now.

Netcraft Phishing Protection for Android Devices

This android application protects you from all web-based phishing attacks. Some of the features of this application are:

• Blocking web-based malware attacks
• Reporting phishing attacks to help protect others
• Viewing your block history and stats to see how Netcraft has been protecting you.

MetaCert App for iPhone Devices

MetaCert uses a powerful threat detection system for fake URLs. A red shield will warn you if a link is leading to a phishing site. A grey shield will tell you about unrecognised links while a green shield indicates the safety of your browsed websites.

Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus

This antivirus is free to download and keeps your financial information secure when you shop and bank online. It also filters out dangerous links when you go online, reducing your chances of running into potential cyber attacks.

How to recognise and avoid phishing attacks?

According to Federal Trade Commission, scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks every day — and they’re often successful. However, there are some signs that will help you recognise whether you have received a phishing email or text message.

• Cyber attackers try to hook you with incredibly cheap offers. Phishing attacks are generally ‘too good to be true' offers.
• Most of the phishing attacks have spelling and grammatical errors. If you receive an email or SMS littered with typos and weird language, chances are it is a phishing attack.
• Phishers want you to take action immediately, without thinking much. Urgent request actions are often a hoax.
• Scammers may try to email you with an address that will look spammy. For instance, email ids such as ‘[e-mail]’ or ‘[e-mail]’ indicate phishing.

What should you do if you have been phished?

If you think the scammer has your credit/debit card credentials, you should immediately block and report your card by contacting your bank. Report the phishing attack immediately to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at cybercrime.gov.in