Phishing remains one of the most popular ways for fraudsters to scam people out of their hard-earned money. Here are the top five things to watch out for so you don’t get hooked by a phishing scam:  

1)The Phishing Pop-up This is where a pop-up appears that is from a company you have open in another tab in your browser. For example, a pop-up box opens that looks like it’s from PayPal, and it asks you, “for verification purposes,” to enter your password and credit card information.  

2)The Badly Written Email Always read emails carefully. Reputable companies will not issue communications riddled with spelling and grammatical errors.  

3)The Hidden Address Many phishing scams will include a link that directs you somewhere other than where it appears to be going. Before clicking on a link, hover your cursor over it to insure what appears matches what is in the link. If you’re still unsure, don’t click on it. Contact the company directly.

4)The Threatening Legal Message Always consider the source. From a customer service perspective, no reputable company would ever send a customer a threatening email.

5)The Email Request Remember: financial institutions and online retailers do not send emails asking for personal information.