Answer: If an email looks supicisious, it probably is

Phishing can be defined as an online scammers attempt to gather information from you to be used nefariously by tricking you into thinking they’re someone or a service you’re comfortable sharing your personal information with. 

The most common form of phishing is done via your inbox. Some are pretty obvious “Nigerian Prince” scams, while others are well-written, code constructed, convincing mailers.

The first piece of advice given to clients when asking if a message is a scam is to sit and think about the message for a moment. Why is my bank emailing me instead of calling me? Could this actually be from my bank? What are the details they’re using in the message, and did I give those details out elsewhere?

If you’re asking yourself how scams like these can be avoided – they can’t, really. Scammers are just as motivated to get you as cyber-security experts are at keeping you safe. It’s an ever changing issue, and the only thing you can really do to protect against scammers is to pause and be analytical. If something seems phishy, give it a closer look or throw it away.