What Happens When You Click a “Phishing” Link?
Posted on Feb 27, 2025
Like most scams, phishing uses deception to trick people into doing something they shouldn’t. These attacks often feature a fake scenario, such as email messages offering large sums of money, threatening you with late fees, or claiming that your account has been locked due to fraudulent activity.
What happens when you click on a phishing link or attachment? Here are a few examples:
It confirms you are an active target:
By clicking a phishing link, you confirm to the attacker that you’re a real person and that your contact information is current. Clicking can also relay basic information about your device to the attacker that you’re a candidate who might fall for additional phishing scams.
Your device gets infected with malware:
Malware may (likely) get loaded onto your device. Malware is malicious computer code that corrupts your device, steals data, or takes control of keyboards and webcams. One type of malware that is very harmful is “ransomware”. Ransomware is a form of malware attack that encrypts your data and locks access until a ransom is paid. This can also lead to a loss in revenue for businesses and expensive operational downtime.
Your personal information gets stolen:
Phishing links often direct you to a webpage that seems legitimate. The page will ask you to enter various types of personal information like your full name, email username, password, and so on. If you proceed, you will hand over your identity to a criminal, who may use this information to open fraudulent accounts in your name.
Don’t let it happen to you!
Learn to identify phishing attacks by carefully inspecting the message and answering these questions:
- Does it create a sense of urgency?
- Does it use threatening language?
- Does it offer unrealistic promises?
- Does it contain suspicious links or attachments?
- Does it come from a sender you don’t know or didn’t expect?
If the answer to any of the above is “yes”, then there’s a high likelihood you’re being phished.
Always think before you click!
For more tips and tricks, check out the additional resources below:
- American Banking Association - Cybersecurity & Data Security | American Bankers Association / ABA Celebrates 150 Years – YouTube Channel
- Internet Complaint Center (IC3) - Press Releases - Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
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