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When Criminals Are Phishing, Don't Take The Bait

When criminals go phishing, you don’t have to take the bait.

Bristol County Savings Bank can help you protect yourself and your Massachusetts or Rhode Island family with our phishing scam guide. Learn how to spot a phishing attemplt, report it, and block the scam with our helpful cybersecurity tips.

A phishing scam is when criminals use fake emails to lure you into clicking on them and handing over your sensitive personal financial information, or installing malware on your device. It’s easy to avoid a scam email, but only once you know what to look for.
 

See it so you don’t click it.

The signs of a phishing scam can be subtle, but once you recognize a phishing attempt you can avoid becoming victim of fraud. Here are some quick tips on how to clearly spot a fake phishing email:

  • Contains an offer that’s too good to be true

  • Language that’s urgent, alarming, or threatening

  • Poorly-crafted writing with misspellings, and bad grammar

  • Greetings that are ambiguous or very generic

  • Requests to send personal information

  • Urgency to click on an unfamiliar hyperlinks or attachment

  • Strange or abrupt business requests

  • Sending e-mail address doesn’t match the company it’s coming from
     

Oh no! I see a phishing email. What do I do?

Don’t worry, you’ve already done the hard part which is recognizing that an email is fake and part of a criminal’s phishing expedition. If you’re at the office and the email came to your work email address, report it to your IT manager or security officer as quickly as possible.

If you’re at home and the email came to your personal email address. Do not click on any links (even the unsubscribe link) or reply back to the email. JUST DELETE IT. You can take your personal protection a step further and block the sending address from your email program, too.
 

Let them know.

Some email platforms let you report phishing attempts. If you suspect an email is phishing for your personal financial information, it’s best to report it quickly.


Protecting your personal financial information is a top priority for us at Bristol County Savings Bank. We are constantly monitoring your personal and business accounts for fraudulent activity. Take your personal financial protection to the next level by learning how to protect yourself online with our cybersecurity and fraud prevention resources.