No one is immune from phishing, but some personality traits can make you more susceptible. Do you have any of these most vulnerable traits?
Summary
The article discusses 6 personality traits that make people more vulnerable to phishing scams. These traits are:
Extroverted: Extroverts tend to be more trusting and less suspicious of others, which makes them more likely to fall for phishing scams.
Agreeable: Agreeable people are more likely to be empathetic and want to help others, which can make them more vulnerable to phishing scams that appeal to their emotions.
People-pleasing: People-pleasers are more likely to go out of their way to help others, even if it means putting themselves at risk. This can make them more susceptible to phishing scams that demand urgent action.
Quick to trust: People who are quick to trust others are more likely to fall for phishing scams, even if the message seems suspicious.
Fear of or respect for authority: People who have a strong fear of or respect for authority figures are more likely to be fooled by phishing scams that pose as authority figures.
Poor self-control: People with poor self-control are more likely to act impulsively, which can make them more vulnerable to phishing scams that demand immediate action.
The article also provides tips for staying safe from phishing scams, such as:
Pause before responding to any suspicious message. Don’t click on any links or open any attachments in a message unless you are sure it is from a legitimate source.
Investigate the source of the message. Look for misspellings or grammatical errors in the message, which can be a sign of a scam.
Think carefully before reacting to the message. Don’t feel pressured to act immediately. Take some time to research the company or organization that the message claims to be from.
Eeeh, the thing with curiosity is that it’s a double edged sword in that regard. Sure, maybe it makes you more likely to engage… but it also makes you much more likely to investigate. Ask the question “why?”, rather than take things at face value.
I agree with this. I’m curious too, so in my naive youth in the 90s I did things like reply to scammers, invite JWs in to tell me about their religion, and even let a scientologist try to audit me.
Nothing bad happened because I was curious about them, but not relying on them to give me the answers.
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Eeeh, the thing with curiosity is that it’s a double edged sword in that regard. Sure, maybe it makes you more likely to engage… but it also makes you much more likely to investigate. Ask the question “why?”, rather than take things at face value.
I agree with this. I’m curious too, so in my naive youth in the 90s I did things like reply to scammers, invite JWs in to tell me about their religion, and even let a scientologist try to audit me.
Nothing bad happened because I was curious about them, but not relying on them to give me the answers.