Fraudsters are trying to get your data. But what should you do if you clicked on a fraudulent link?
What is a phishing link? A phishing website looks very similar to well-known sites like Amazon, Google, and others. However, there is a fraudster behind it who collects sensitive information like passwords and credit card details from you to use it themselves or sell it. A phishing link sends you to such a fraudulent lookalike page.
MeinMMO explains how you can protect yourself against it.
Do not click on any links or enter data
Why is this important? Clicking on a fraudulent link is already annoying enough. It becomes dangerous when you click on further links or even enter your data:
- Ideally, do not interact with the fraudulent website in any way.
- Do not click on any links.
- Do not accept cookies.
- Do not enter any data anywhere on the website.
Leave the malicious website immediately to avoid further harm.
Disconnect from the Internet
Why is this important? This step is almost as important as leaving the website. When you turn off your device, you interrupt all connections that the fraudsters may have already established with you:
- A download of malware is ideally interrupted before it is completed.
- Fraudsters can no longer collect sensitive data from you.
It is best to disconnect the Wi-Fi and Internet connection on your device and switch to airplane mode. You can also do this on your computer. To do this, select “Airplane mode” from the Windows menu, after which all connections will be closed.
On the computer, you can also unplug the LAN cable from your computer if you do not completely trust the software solution of airplane mode. The LAN cable is usually plugged into the back of your computer.
Scan system for malware
Why is this important? You should check your system for malware. You can run security programs on both your PC and your mobile phone for monitoring.
Usually, the already installed Windows Defender is sufficient for the average user. In the independent test by the IT institute AV-Test, the Windows Defender performs very well; other test results also indicate that the Windows tool is capable of effectively detecting and eliminating most threats. However, you can also use any other antivirus software you trust.
Paid alternative: If you do not trust your installed software or fear it may be compromised by a virus, you can also access external services. A recommended option is Desinfec’t from Heise/c’t. The current version costs 19.90 EUR. This price includes 12 months of virus signature updates.
With Desinfec’t, you can scan a Windows system for existing viruses, trojans, rootkits, and other computer pests, and then clean the system.
Secure your data
Why is this important? Definitely secure your data. Malicious software can damage, encrypt, or even delete your data, so you should definitely create a backup. Ideally, do it regularly to protect yourself from such risks.
However, ensure that you back up your data only after you have removed the malware. Otherwise, you will back up the malware as well and won’t be able to get rid of it.
In general, we would recommend creating a backup of important data on an external device. This way, damage from disturbances or viruses is limited.
Clean your browser and delete browser history
Clean your browser with which you accessed the website. Because you can never be sure whether the website has installed malicious code or something else in your browser and is reading your data that you enter in your browser while paying or logging in.
Alternatively, you can uninstall your browser and then reinstall it. This way you can be sure that all data is really gone.
Change passwords
Why is this important? If you have been affected by a phishing attack, you definitely need to change your passwords. Because you can never be sure whether the fraudsters have already copied passwords from your system.
Make sure to change the passwords from another device if you want to be completely sure. You can find tips and recommendations for a strong password on MeinMMO.
Report phishing link
Why is this important? To protect yourself and others in the future, it is advisable to report fraudulent and malicious websites. There are several ways to do this:
- You can report phishing or fraudulent pages directly to Google. Here you can provide the URL and additional information about the website.
- If the fraudulent link or website comes from an email, you can report it as spam and thus improve your spam filter. This function is usually integrated into your email program or by your provider into the inbox.
More on Internet security: Regularly, major data leaks from websites or providers come to light: The data often consists of thousands of compiled and re-indexed data leaks, data breaches, and privately sold databases. Security researchers suspect that malicious actors have collected billions of data that have been disclosed: Twitter, Telegram, and Co: Massive data leak reveals 26 billion passwords – Check immediately if you are affected
