How IT Consulting in Los Angeles Can Help Your Company Avoid Phishing Scams

How IT Consulting in Los Angeles Can Help Your Company Avoid Phishing Scams

IT consulting in Los AngelesPhishing scams are one of the most effective tools of cyber criminals and partnering with an IT consulting firm in Los Angeles can help your company avoid becoming their next victim. These emails are designed to steal your personal information, as they appear to be from a legitimate website. However, an IT provider can give your employees tips on how to recognize these malicious emails and avoid costly mistakes. Here are four simple things to keep in mind whenever you receive a suspicious email:

Strange Email Address

Does the email appear legitimate or does it have slight misspellings? Many cybercriminals will look to copy a real email address but with a slight variation, in the hope of deceiving the individual that opens the message. Another common tactic is that they will put a legitimate company’s name before the “@” symbol to make it appear authentic. An IT provider can teach employees how to spot these common signs and avoid these deceptive emails.

Sense of Urgency

The vast majority of phishing emails begin with a sense of urgency, as they hope to cause an employee to make a quick decision without giving it the necessary thought. These messages contain action phrases such as “respond now” or “act quickly,” which can cause an unsuspecting employee to make a critical mistake. Instead of falling victim to this scam, staff can learn to avoid this simple psychological trick by simply clicking on the delete button.

Generic Greeting

An email that begins with a generic greeting can be another sign of a phishing scam and IT consulting in Los Angeles can help your employees recognize these malevolent emails. For example, many cybercriminals begin their email with “Dear Valued Customer” but fail to offer any specifics a “valued customer” would expect. Another red flag is if the email is filled with punctuation, spelling, or grammar mistakes. These types of emails are best deleted— they are a waste of time and can pose significant security risks.

Suspicious Links

Many phishing emails have links embedded within the message, and a have a false address that will take you to a malicious website. One way to determine the true source of a link is to hover over it with your mouse, and it will reveal the real address, which often differs from the link’s appearance. If you have additional concerns, you can contact your IT provider, and ask them to further verify the legitimacy of the website.

Phishing scams are rampant but partnering with an IT consulting firm in Los Angeles can keep your organization protected from these nefarious schemes. At Advanced Networks, we specialize in cybersecurity and providing top quality customer service. We understand the importance of avoiding scams, data breaches, and downtime, as these can severely damage a company. Fortunately, our IT technicians are always available and can give you instant technical support. We can provide additional training for employees to help them identify potential phishing emails. If you are interested in learning more about our cybersecurity practices, feel free to contact us.

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