Some of the most common elements in a phishing or email scam are:

• You don’t know the sender
• An authentic-looking website but the website URL starts with “http” instead of “https” (the “s” stands for secure) and does not display a tiny padlock icon in the address bar
• Links or attachments you weren’t expecting
• An exciting false promise (you have won!) or an upsetting false threat or sense of urgency (your account will be closed in 24 hours!)
• A request for personal banking information, such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, or social insurance numbers
• A generic message that is not personalized
• Spelling and grammar errors

Visit our Cybersecurity & Fraud Hub to learn how to protect yourself from phishing scams.