Rip off emails - this is how you protect yourself from phishing

Modern criminals no longer ring the doorbell, but rip you off through the back door via phishing email. Tricky, the cyber criminals lure you into the trap with profits, lucrative jobs, visiting collection agencies or even disguised as your house bank. The scam is always the same, because you should either click a link, open the attachment or enter data to avoid seemingly worse things. The fraudsters fall back on well-known companies: Google, Apple, Microsoft, PayPal, Ebay, banks. Even the names of friends and business partners may have to be used.

The trouble comes in the appendix - the bills rip off

Of course, if you receive an invoice, order confirmation or even a reminder by email, you will be alarmed. For example, you will see an email from the iTunes reminder in your inbox. It will inform you that you have not responded to multiple payment reminders. You should now pay the open amount (in two or three-digit amounts) within a short period of time. The details in the form of the purchase contract with bank details are attached to the fake mail in a ZIP file. How to successfully ward off the attack:

1. Under no circumstances open the attachment.
2. Do not click on a link, because just visiting a website can download malware onto your PC.
3. Delete the email immediately.

E-mail phishing attacks a la "Your account has been blocked."

Crooks not only install viruses but also try to get your bank or other access data. For example, eBay informs you that your account has been blocked for security reasons and you can reactivate it by entering your user name and password. You will receive the link for this in the email. As is usual with phishing emails, you are put under pressure and threatened that you have to act quickly, otherwise your eBay user account will be closed. The auction house knows nothing of this electronic mail because the sender of this criminal spam mail is fake. Don't give fraudsters a chance by

• do not click any links in such emails
• do not download images
• do not open an attachment
• do not enter data in a form
• delete the email immediately
• Always enter the URL of your bank in your browser yourself and log in there.

It is not uncommon for phishing attacks to land you on fake websites that resemble real websites like a twin brother. Link spoofing even shows the real address of the domain in the email. However, the fraudulent website is loaded after a click.

How to help yourself if you are unsure

Delete the relevant email and go to the company's website manually in the browser. You can find phone numbers and email addresses under Contact or in the Imprint. Just ask in this way.

Did you fall for an email fraudster?

Regardless of whether you are blackmailed into locking your PC, caught a virus, or released your bank details, limit the damage by:

• inform the company concerned (e.g. bank, online shop, eBay, PayPal)
• change all passwords or have your access completely blocked
• Document the fraud by printing out the email or taking screenshots
• File a criminal complaint with the police
• never make payments if the fraudsters ask you to do so.