2023 has been filled with many ups, downs, and scams.
As we navigate the treacherous waters of the digital realm, let's take a moment and make note of the tactics behind the phishing emails that graced millions of inboxes across the country this year.
Others are actually well-constructed attacks that have tricked many into falling victim to fraud.
Like many of the nominees on this list, this type of phishing falls into the category of social engineering, where the scammer leans into the art of human manipulation.
They made the message seem important so that you would notice it immediately and not think twice about handing over your personal info or clicking a spoofed link.
You may want to hurry up and click the link in that email to resolve the issue-or at least that's what the scammer who used this headline wants you to think.
Let's all put our cursors together for this clever spear phishing attempt.
Spear phishing is a type of attack in which a cybercriminal targets a specific individual in order to gain access to sensitive information.
This wouldn't be an award show without a Best Actor, and this headline is up there with the best impersonations.
You can prevent falling for it by always carefully checking sender addresses for subtle spelling changes and verifying hyperlinks by hovering over the URL. The Love Lure Award goes to.
Love is in the air, or so this phishing attempt would have you believe.
This romance scam is meant to catch your attention, but mostly leaves us chuckling and rolling our eyes.
In most cases, the scammer is hoping to make a connection and gain your trust with the promise of romance before eventually asking for money to help them with an emergency or difficult situation, promising to pay you back.
Avoid falling for it by always being on your guard when chatting with someone you've never met in person.
That's why this form of phishing is so successful and worthy of mention.
These tricksters will pose as a legitimate streaming company, saying that there is an issue with your account and that your most recent payment didn't go through, hoping that you will click the embedded link.
The best way to avoid falling for this scare tactic is to stay vigilant and cast a critical eye over every email that lands in your inbox.
It's important to remember that these awards are no symbol of praise.
Making a little fun of them can help disarm the scammers that send them.
As we bid adieu to the antics of 2023, let's remember to always stay sharp, and stay informed on the latest scams that could wind up in our inboxes.
This Cyber News was published on blog.avast.com. Publication date: Wed, 20 Dec 2023 11:13:04 +0000