By Brad Rhodes

Phishing remains a persistent and evolving threat. Like a skilled angler, scammers bait their victims with convincing lures designed to steal personal and financial information. Staying vigilant is your best defense.

The scale of phishing attempts continues to rise dramatically. While specific 2025 projections are still being finalized, the trend of increasing volume and sophistication is undeniable. Phishing attacks are becoming harder to spot, with many designed to bypass traditional security measures. This means billions of individuals are at risk.

How scammers operate:

Phishing scammers constantly innovate their tactics:

1. Email impersonation: They often send emails that appear to come from legitimate companies or organizations. These emails may prompt you to “update account information” or “confirm a purchase,” often including links to fake websites. Entering your details on these fraudulent sites allows scammers to steal your identity or make unauthorized charges.
2. Social media & text messages (smishing/vishing): Scammers increasingly use social media and text messages (smishing) to pose as friends, acquaintances or even use threats. Phone scams (vishing) are also prevalent, with fraudsters employing sophisticated social engineering tactics and sometimes leveraging personal information to gain trust or intimidate victims.

Your best protection: Knowledge and vigilance

Protecting yourself requires proactive steps:

• Be skeptical of unsolicited communications: Never automatically trust emails, texts or calls, even if they seem to be from a known entity.
• Verify requests independently: If a message requests personal information or immediate action, do not respond directly or click links. Instead, contact the company or person using a verified phone number or website (e.g., from their official site, not the suspicious message).
• Look for red flags: Be wary of generic greetings, poor grammar/spelling, urgent threats or unusual sender addresses.
• Keep software updated: Ensure your operating systems, browsers, and security software (antivirus, anti-malware) are always current, as updates often patch known vulnerabilities.
• Report suspicious activity: If you receive a suspicious communication, report it. In the U.S., you can report fraud to the FTC’s fraud department at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/. You can also forward suspicious emails to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@apwg.org.

By staying informed and exercising caution, you can significantly reduce your risk of becoming a phishing victim.

Brad Rhodes, a native North Carolinian, is a member of Syndicated Columnists, a national organization committed to a fully transparent approach to money management.