Beware: A Bad Actor is Watching You 

Don’t Get Hooked: How Social Engineering & Phishing Tricks Even Smart People 

Have you ever gotten an email from “your bank” asking you to confirm your login details… but something just felt off?

Welcome to the world of social engineering where cybercriminals don’t just hack your computer, they hack you.

What Is Social Engineering?

Social engineering is a cybersecurity threat that focuses on manipulating people into giving up confidential information. It’s less about breaking firewalls and more about breaking your trust.

These attacks work by targeting emotions like:

• Curiosity

• Fear

• Urgency

• Kindness

The Most Common Type? Phishing.

Phishing is like fishing—but with baited emails or messages instead of worms.

Cyber attackers pretend to be someone you trust—your bank, your boss, your IT department—and try to trick you into clicking links, downloading attachments, or entering your login credentials.

Common Phishing Scenarios:

• An email saying your account will be locked unless you click a link

• A fake job offer asking for your personal information

• A message from “IT support” requesting a password reset

Even experienced professionals fall for it. Why? Because these emails often look very real.

🚩 Red Flags to Spot a Phishing Email

Watch out for:

• Spelling or grammar mistakes

• Suspicious sender addresses (e.g., paypal-support@randomsite.ru)

• Urgent or threatening language (“Act now or your account will be deleted!”)

• Too-good-to-be-true offers (“Claim your $500 gift card!”)

Unexpected attachments or links 

 How to Protect Yourself

• Pause before clicking anything. Trust your instincts.

• Hover over links to preview where they actually go.

• You may copy the link and drop it into Scamvoid to check if the website or domain is legit.

• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA). Adds an extra layer of protection.

• Update your software regularly. Prevent known vulnerabilities.

• Report phishing emails to your organization or provider.