Phishing techniques
Criminals use some common techniques to try to get individuals or businesses to react to their requests for action. It is important that you are educated about these techniques and are able to spot them if they occur. The techniques include things like:
Phishing Techniques
- Presenting as an authority figure or source such as a government department or someone senior within a business. By posing as a source of authority the target audience feels compelled to follow the stipulated course of action.
- The creation of a sense of urgency, this technique encourages people to act quickly before they have time to think things through or check information. Remember what you learned in the introductory video, it is important to pause, think and act.
- Emotion, this technique prompts an emotional response in the receiver which may cause them to react and action the request as they may feel upset, scared, hopeful, or curious.
- Scarcity, this technique operates by offering something that is in short supply or is an exceptionally good deal which encourages customers to act quickly to secure a product or service. In acting quickly their defenses are compromised.
- Current events, this technique references a topic that is current in the community, it may be a current event or news story. As the event is true, by linking the action request to the event it allows the request for action to be perceived as authentic.
If you are unsure about the legitimacy of an email, phone call, text message or social media contact, the safe thing to do is to verify the contact via a trusted source. For example, instead of calling a number that appears in a text message you could go to the business website and locate contact information.