SECURITY
Phishing Attacks
Phishing attacks are becoming more and more common, so it's important to know what to watch out for.
What is a phishing attack?
Phishing is any fake email, SMS message, or website that impersonates a real person or company in order to steal your personal information. They are designed to look and feel legitimate and can be difficult to spot.
Most common phishing methods
Remember, phishing attacks come in different shapes and sizes. They can be very sophisticated and difficult to spot at first. Emails, SMS messages, and automated voicemails are the most common channels used.
Tips for protecting yourself from phishing attacks
Avoid sharing sensitive information, like usernames, passwords, and credit card numbers with people you don’t know.
Be patient and extra vigilant when examining urgest requests from unknown or unsolicited senders.
Look at URLs and make sure there are no common typos in the web address. Attackers will often use domain names that are nearly identical to the one they are impersonating. I.e. coinbase.com vs. colnbase.com
Avoid clicking links in emails before checking, especially if the email is unsolicited or is “urgent.” Hover over the link first and if the alt text doesn’t match the display text, don’t click on it.
Misspelled words and bad grammar are signs that something is wrong. Be thorough and pay attention to these small, but important, details.
Any promise of extravagant rewards or monetary compensation should be treated with the utmost suspicion. Avoid clicking or downloading anything from messages that claim to offer you unrealistic rewards.
Still unsure? Investigate if there’s any doubt
If you feel like something is wrong, gather more information before acting:
Call or message the person you think is being impersonated
Go to the company’s website to further investigate
Don’t be afraid to reach out to customer support to verify if a particular message you received is legitimate
What to do if you think you’ve been phished
You should enter in contact with our Coinbase support as soon as possible.
If you think you’ve received a phishing email from someone impersonating Coinbase, forward the email to security@coinbase.com — we will take action to stop the campaign.
Security 101 - Phishing Scams Videos
Security PSA Blog Posts
Security PSA: Search engine phishing
Search engine phishing exploits the trust we have in search engines and the convenience of searching for something rather than remembering the domain. The following piece outlines what search engine phishing attacks may look like and how Coinbase users can avoid them.
