Phishing and spam are two of the most annoying internet experiences. While both are essentially methods to trick people into giving up personal information, they go about it differently.
Spam is unwanted marketing messages sent over email, usually trying to sell you something you don’t want. Phishing, on the other hand, is a scam where someone tries to get your personal information by pretending to be a company or trustworthy source.
As cyber security guru DigitalXRaid explains, spam and phishing attempts trick people into clicking links and giving up their usernames, passwords, or other private information. While spam is usually obvious (like a sales pitch that no one wants to receive in their inbox), phishing isn’t always so easy to spot.
However, there are some key differences between the two that can help you determine whether an email is a spam or a phishing attempt. Here are the differences.
Visual Difference
Spam is literally any type of unsolicited message that is sent over the internet. It can be a form letter, an email, a text message or even a phone call from someone you don’t know. The messages are usually very obvious in their intention. They are designed to get you to take action in exchange for something of value, mostly money or more information about a product or service.
Phishing is another type of scam that involves tricking people into giving up their personal information by pretending to be someone they trust. Phishers often use a fake website that looks similar to the real thing. They try to convince users that they have been invited by a friend or colleague and require them to give up sensitive information or download particular files.
The Targets
Phishing primarily targets individuals and small businesses with little online presence who may not have the resources to protect themselves against it. Spam, on the other hand, tends to target large corporations and well-known brands with large followings on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, as well as other websites like Google+.
The reason is that phishers tend to send messages out when businesses are more likely to have followers than most individuals on social media sites. Their target is to reach more people at once. However, it is also possible for companies with millions of online followers to be targeted by phishers.
The Risks
The risks involved with phishing are pretty high because it often includes tricking users into sharing their bank account numbers, passwords, and credit cards. This can, in turn, lead to identity theft and financial loss as well as embarrassment if you have your bank account hacked or someone else gains access to your personal information online and uses it without your permission.
Many people also don’t realize they’re being tricked until they’ve already given up their information over the phone or through email. It makes it very hard to get back your money and other personal information you’ve already given up.
The risks involved with spam are very low compared to phishing, but they are still there. While spam can be used to gather information about users, it’s much harder to trace the source of the email, unlike phishing. Users cannot stop the spam from spreading since most people never open them or delete them once they’ve been sent.
If you receive a spam email or message that you’re not interested in, simply clicking on the ‘unsubscribe’ link in the footer of your email client is usually enough to stop any further messages from being sent to you.
However, if you feel that there’s something wrong with an email message that’s sent to you or if it doesn’t appear to be coming from a legitimate source (not a chain letter), then contacting your ISP is usually enough for them to take action on their end and remove it for good.
What is the Difference between Spam and Phishing?
Spam and phishing are two of the most common types of cyber threats. They often go hand-in-hand since they both use similar tactics and scams online. Both spam and phishing involve sending users emails with malicious intent. Following this, you might think they’re the same thing, but spam and phishing are very different. However, they’re used for very different purposes and have diverse effects. Understanding the differences between the two cyber threats works a ton in helping you avoid them.
