We all like to think we are smart, independent, in full control of our lives, and there is no way any of us would fall for a financial scam, like those lonely old seniors do, because “that happens to them, not to me, because I am smart.”

But the truth is, even smart people fall for it, people with master degrees, people who work in academia, people running large business… Even I could fall for this.

And how did you learn to recognize it?

  • folekaule@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    We had this, and I created the same rule, but they have since switched to AI generated phishing emails that use information about you (your manager etc) to make a fairly convincing email. If someone gets a lot of email from outside sources, I can totally see them clicking on a link if they’re in a hurry.

    The main things that raise my suspicion are:

    • telling me it’s urgent
    • telling me there will be dire consequences if I fail to comply
    • asking me to log in (with a direct link)
    • it’s from an external source
    • it’s not related to my job (eg, asking me to sign off on a PO)
    • telling me to download a file
    • including an attachment

    I usually just err on the side of reporting it. I’ve only had one false positive so far.

    • BorgDrone@feddit.nl
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      1 day ago

      Then there’s also legitimate mail that contain all those red flags.

      The same people that made us go through anti-phishimg training sent me an e-mail that read exactly like a phishing attempt net even a week later, which turned out to be totally legit. Like, WTF.

      • folekaule@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        Yep lol. They have a second system that rewrites all links in emails to go through a scanner, but as a side effect that obfuscates them as well.

        • Eq0@literature.cafe
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          1 day ago

          I got some of those! If ai hadn’t personally known the sender, I would have reported them…