Phishing Scams

Fraudulent emails and copy-cat websites designed to deceive.

Phishing is a type of fraud in which criminals impersonate legitimate organizations or trusted individuals to trick you into providing personal information, login credentials, passwords, or other sensitive details. While phishing often occurs through email, fraudsters also use phone calls ("vishing"), text messages ("smishing"), and social media. These tactics are forms of social engineering, the manipulation of people into revealing confidential information or taking actions that benefit criminals. Phone-based social engineering was one of the most commonly reported fraud methods in 2025, with scammers increasingly posing as banks, government agencies, law enforcement officers, delivery companies, utility providers, or well-known businesses.

These scammers often create a false sense of urgency by claiming there is a problem with your account, a suspicious transaction, an overdue payment, a missed delivery, or even that you are involved in a criminal investigation. Their goal is to pressure you into acting before you have time to think.

Most email programs include spam filters that identify many suspicious messages, but these tools are not foolproof. Knowing what to look for is your best defense. Misspellings, poor grammar, unusual formatting, unfamiliar sender email addresses, suspicious links or URLs, unexpected attachments, and urgent requests to click a link or verify your information are all common warning signs.

Even if an email or phone call appears legitimate, never feel pressured to provide personal or financial information on the spot. If someone contacts you claiming to represent your financial institution, law enforcement, a government agency, or another trusted organization, ask for their name and department, end the conversation, and independently verify the request by calling a trusted phone number, such as the number on the back of your debit or credit card or one listed on the organization's official website. Never rely on a phone number, email address, or website provided by the person who contacted you. Likewise, rather than clicking links in emails or text messages related to financial or sensitive accounts, navigate directly to the organization's official website by typing the known web address into your browser.

Additional Resources:

• Enrich Article: Identity Theft Scams You Need to Know
• Enrich Article: Everything You Need to Know About Identity Theft Protection
• Enrich Video: How to Avoid Identity Theft
• Webinar Recording: ID Theft Prevention