Phishing

In phishing, criminals impersonate a well-known organization and pressure you to reveal sensitive data or click a link. The message usually creates urgency ("Your account will be suspended") so you act without thinking; the link leads to a near-perfect fake page where whatever you type goes straight to the attackers. Phishing arrives by email, SMS ("smishing"), and calls ("vishing"). Tell-tale signs are impersonal greetings, errors, and mismatched sender addresses. You're protected by skepticism, two-factor authentication, a password manager, and a phishing filter — see the best antivirus comparison.