The safest way to visit a website is to type the address of the website (e.g., apple.com) into your browser’s address bar. If it’s a site that you visit frequently, bookmark it.
Here are two common ways that attacks are initiated:
- A deceitful email contains a link to a phishing web page. The email is often designed to provoke concern. As an example, the message might state “Your account shows unusual activity. Click here to confirm your information.”
- In Google search results, a deceitful ad or link redirects you to a fraudster’s web page. This can happen if you search for a website instead of typing it directly into the address bar.
If you must click on a link, you can see where the link will take you if you hover your pointer over the link. Scammers often obfuscate the destination of a website by using a URL shorting service (e.g., bit.ly/xyz.) You can never be sure of where a shortened URL will redirect to, so it’s best to avoid them.