Thankfully, phishing scams and their most popular variations can be recognized and prevented with knowledge and awareness. Once obtained, the scam artist will use or sell your information to enrich themselves or use it to bolster more advanced scamming strategies. Similar to the outdoor sport that it’s named after, phishing describes a set of activities in which a scam artist attempts to get you to divulge sensitive personal information through various forms of deception. However, what many of these techniques effectively boil down to is an ever-evolving family of hacking strategies known as phishing.

Other examples of trending cybercrime include fake parcel delivery services to acquire personal information, sextortion scams that prey on the target’s guilt and social standing, and ever-classic tech support scams. Compared to past scattershot approaches, there is a concerted effort by cybercriminals to go after larger, more valuable targets by using advanced techniques like deepfaking audio from employees, managers, and executives. With global ransomware attacks up 32% on businesses and 38% on individuals from last year, companies that fail to use security tools like two-factor authentication or properly configure their VPNs could be especially at risk. From fans of the K-Pop band BTS being tricked into following crypto-related Twitter handles to fake initial coin offerings (ICOs), the popularity of cryptocurrency provides scammers with many opportunities.

Bitcoin’s enduring popularity and peak valuation in 2021 has only encouraged heists on crypto exchanges, the use of cryptomining malware, cryptocurrency-related scams, and malware targeting cryptocurrency wallets. With more people looking to cash in on hype surrounding the cryptocurrency market than ever before and an increasing digital workforce which may lack awareness of network security set-ups, cybercriminal activity remains rampant. Be aware of dangerous phishing scams, including sugar daddy scams, sextortion emails, and more.

Current phishing scams 2019