Phishing…yes or no?

This morning, I received a rather suspicious e-mail allegedly from Amazon.com. This looked like an order confirmation for a TV someone purchased and shipped to Alabama. Upon inspection, I learned this was a phishing attempt. I deleted the fraudulent message. I want to show how to identify a phishing attempt on your own.

This message looked like a typical Amazon.com order confirmation. It had the Amazon logo and usual fonts. It even had hyperlinks in the usual places. It looked pretty good.

I was suspicious. I have not ordered a TV from Amazon.com and do not know anyone in Alabama. I checked the message and determined it was truly a phishing attempt. According to Wikipedia, Phishing is the act of attempting to acquire information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money) by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.

How to tell.

The answer is pretty straightforward: Hover. I moved my mouse pointer over the “Order Details” link but did not click it. This link, if I had clicked it, would have taken me to someone’s website at http://frontsighttacticalanddefense.com. Surely not Amazon.com. This is a simple trick you can use to make sure you do not fall for a phishing attempt. Be safe everybody!