1
What Is Phishing?
Move through this lesson at your own pace and come back whenever you need a refresher.
Course
Protect Yourself Against Phishing Attacks.
Practice a simple habit for suspicious texts, emails, and account alerts.
Status: Not started
What you will learn
Learn how to recognize phishing, slow down under pressure, and use the S.A.F.E. method before clicking, replying, or sharing personal information.
2
Protect Yourself With the S.A.F.E. Method
Move through this lesson at your own pace and come back whenever you need a refresher.
3
Knowledge Check
Move through this lesson at your own pace and come back whenever you need a refresher.
4
Summary
Move through this lesson at your own pace and come back whenever you need a refresher.
Use these before or after the course.
What's inside this course
Course lessons
What Is Phishing?
Protect Yourself With the S.A.F.E. Method
Knowledge Check
Summary
What you'll learn
Phishing is the most common online attack, and it's also the most preventable. This focused course teaches you exactly how to recognize phishing attempts:
- The four red flags present in nearly every phishing email
- How to check a sender's real email address (and what to do when it looks legitimate)
- How to safely hover over links to see where they actually lead
- What "spear phishing" is and why it targets older adults specifically
- How to recover if you accidentally clicked a phishing link or entered your password
Who this is for
This is a shorter, more focused course than our two foundation courses. It's ideal if you specifically want to get better at recognizing fake emails and texts, or if you've had a close call recently. You can take it before, during, or after the other courses — it stands on its own.
Common questions
What should I do if I already clicked a link in a suspicious email?
Don't panic. Clicking a link by itself doesn't usually compromise your account — typing your password into a fake page is what does. If you did type your password, change it immediately on the real site. If the account has two-factor authentication, turn it on. Watch the account for unusual activity for the next few weeks. The course covers recovery steps in detail.
Why are older adults targeted more by phishing?
A few reasons: older adults tend to have more savings, are home more during the day (so they can answer calls), are less likely to discuss scams openly with friends, and grew up trusting institutions like the IRS and Social Security. None of this means older adults are foolish — it means scammers have designed their attacks specifically for this demographic.