Cybercrime on the Rise: The Dangers of Phishing Scams and How to Protect Yourself

Imagine this: You open your inbox, finding an email from a seemingly familiar contact. You trust the name you see in the signature. There’s a strange urgency from this person, demanding you immediately send your phone number or other personal information or login somewhere to sign a document or send/download a file. For a brief moment, you think to do so.

You accept, and suddenly, you find more and more of your online accounts have been compromised. To make matters worse, you notice there’s also money missing from your financial accounts.

Unfortunately, you have now fallen victim to a phishing scam.

Phishing scams are among the most common types of cybercrime on the internet today. Thanks to the power of smartphones, the days of phishing attempts just lurking in email inboxes are gone. Attacks are becoming more and more sophisticated by the day. Scams can originate from anywhere you’re contactable, including texts, social media messages, and phone calls.

Why Are Phishing Scams Dangerous?

Your Identity May Be Stolen

Phishing criminals, or phishermen, often aim to steal your personally identifiable information (PII), including passwords to your online accounts, banking details, and even your Social Security number. Once a phisherman obtains this data, they can commit identity theft by opening fraudulent accounts, making unauthorized transactions, or even opening new lines of credit.

Victims of identity theft often spend months, or even years, trying to rectify the damage done. Everything from your credit score to your personal privacy can be harmed.

Your Financial Wellbeing Is At Risk

According to the latest data from All About Cookies, phishermen became much more efficient at stealing money from their victims. In 2022, the total amount of money lost to phishing scams was over $46 million. In 2023, this number increased by 62%, with victims across the nation losing over $75 million in total.

What does this mean for individual victims? Victims lost an average of $5,807 in 2023. This represents a 136% increase from the year before, where individual victims lost $2,458 on average.

A nearly $6,000 loss can derail just about anyone. Without an emergency fund or other financial safety net in place, this sort of loss becomes a more dire situation. Recovering from these losses is both time consuming and mentally draining.

You May Compromise Your Workplace’s Security

As mentioned earlier, phishing attempts can come about wherever you’re contactable. This includes your work email. What may seem like a familiar email from a manager or coworker can actually be a harmful cyberattack in disguise.

When someone falls victim, they can not only compromise their own online safety, but their company’s overall security as well. A single compromised employee account can put an entire organization at risk.

Phishing Hotspots: Is Your State Affected?

The All About Cookies team, in the report mentioned earlier, also found certain states experience higher rates of incidents and larger concentrations of criminals.


All About Cookies’ data found Florida has the highest concentration of phishing attempts of any state in the U.S. In fact, between 2022 and 2023, phishing attempts fell in every state except Florida.

Scammers are becoming more intelligent and getting away with more money out of their victims’ pockets, but the appropriate authorities are also working hard to catch these criminals.

In 2022, authorities in Florida caught 267 phishermen.In 2023, they increased that number by 562%, putting 1,767 cybercriminals behind bars. The Sunshine State currently has the highest number of total scammers caught by any state.

New Mexico and Connecticut were also able to increase their arrest rates. Arrests increased in New Mexico by 45%, while arrests in Connecticut increased by 32%. Montana (14%), Vermont (13%), Mississippi (9%), and Wisconsin (9%) are among the other states who successfully increased their arrests.

While many states have made progress in apprehending phishermen and mitigating losses, there’s still individual responsibility needed to ensure safety.

How to Protect Yourself from Phishing Scams

Verify the Sender’s Information

Phishing scams often come in the form of emails. However, due to the previously mentioned sophisticated nature of these attacks, phishing attempts can be hidden in messages to any account you can be contacted from.

Criminals often do their best to make their messaging look official, and some are pretty convincing. The phisherman’s favorite tactic is to appear to be a legitimate company, colleague, bank, or government agency. It is best practice to double-check the sender’s details and verify they are who they say they are. Doing so can help identify a potential attack. Unexpected or unreasonably urgent requests for personal information should always raise a red flag.

Do Not Click Any Suspicious Links

Many phishing attacks use shortened hyperlinks to trick users into visiting fraudulent sites that mimic real ones. If you’re unable to verify the sender’s details and confirm their legitimacy otherwise, it is still best to avoid clicking any links unless you are absolutely certain.

One way to circumvent a suspicious link is to hover over links with your cursor before clicking. This will allow you to see the actual URL instead of what the cybercriminal is trying to disguise it as. If the link looks suspicious or does not match any official website, avoid clicking at all costs.

Use Strong, Unique Passwords

Creating strong, unique passwords for each of your online accounts is a healthy cybersecurity habit to have in general. These passwords should include a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters. It is best to avoid using any variation of the word “password” or any fully spelled out words.

Each password should be unique to its respective account, and repeating or reusing the same password across multiple accounts should be avoided. If a criminal gains access to one password and you’re using that password for multiple logins, that criminal now has access to all of the accounts with the same login credentials.

For added security, consider investing in a password manager. This will not only help generate strong, unique passwords, but also store them securely.

Use Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification, such as a one-time code sent to your phone number or email address. One time codes can also be generated by an authenticator app. Google has its own app that is completely free to use and compatible with multiple online platforms.

Even if phishermen get a hold of your password, they will need the additional verification to access your account. Many social media platforms, banking apps, and other online services we use everyday have started to internally offer MFA as a part of login credentials needed to gain access. Be sure to enroll for additional security at no extra cost.

Report Suspicious Activity

If you receive a phishing email or suspect a scam, many email service providers such as Gmail have a way to report messages as a potential attack directly within your inbox. The more often you report potential phishing attacks, the better service providers can protect their users.

If you fall victim and you notice unauthorized charges or withdrawals, compromised online accounts, or fraudulent accounts, report what happened to the appropriate authorities immediately. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) allows victims to report fraud in minutes through their online complaint form. Reporting these attacks helps organizations like the FTC track down cybercriminals and prevent future attacks.

Educate Yourself and Others

Stay informed about common phishing tactics and stay on top of cybersecurity best practices. Let your friends and loved ones know too, as anyone who may be uninformed can needlessly find themselves trying to pick up the pieces left by a vicious cybercriminal. Make sure to educate any elderly loved ones as well, as they are usually more susceptible to falling for scams designed to be deceivingly convincing.

Technology is constantly evolving in this day and age, meaning criminals are doing the same. Staying educated is crucial to staying safe.

H/T: Maya Siman / Sr. Digital Content Strategist. All About Cookies

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