Spam mail versus phishing mail: What’s the difference?

At first glance, they look very similar: Spam mails and phishing mails both fill in-boxes with unwanted messages. But the intentions behind them are quite different. Phishing emails in particular represent a danger to the security of your debit or credit cards.

Spam emails are messages sent in large volumes that advertise products or services. They are annoying, but rarely dangerous.

Phishing emails, on the other hand, are deliberately deceptive. They often pretend to come from a trustworthy sender such as a bank or payment service. The intention behind them is to obtain sensitive data such as login or card details. They often contain links to websites that look deceptively genuine, or include infected attachments that intercept data or install malware on the recipient's computer.

How to protect yourself from phishing attacks:

• Distrust messages from unknown senders.
• Always check the sender’s email address and URL.
• Never click on links and never open attachments.