08 Oct What is a spear phishing email?

Q. What is a spear phishing email?
— Learning

A. There are many kinds of attacks that come to our inboxes. They all try to trick the recipient into handing over personal information, which a scammer may then use to steal an identity, open up accounts in someone’s name or otherwise engage in fraud.

Spear phishing is a specific kind of trickery. It targets the potential victim specifically — either as an individual or a group — using a piece of personal information to make it seem legit.

The Federal Trade Commission offers this example: “I’m calling from [pick any bank]. Someone’s been using your debit card ending in 2345 at [pick any retailer]. I’ll need to verify your Social Security number — which ends in 8190, right? — and full debit card information so we can stop this unauthorized activity…”

If you ever receive a message like this — whether by email or text — delete it. If you’re concerned about your specific account, don’t use any links or phone numbers sent to you in the message. Instead, contact your financial institution using the phone number on your card or statement.

Email your questions to .

This story was originally published in October 2024.

NJMoneyHelp.com presents certain general financial planning principles and advice, but should never be viewed as a substitute for obtaining advice from a personal professional advisor who understands your unique individual circumstances.