If You Fall for a Phishing Email, Here’s What Happens Next

Most people receive a lot of spam emails, calls, and other messages daily. These usually represent some phishing attempt and try as you might, you’ll likely accidentally put yourself in a sketchy position eventually—it’s not your fault; it happens to everyone. If you get phished, it’s important not to worry too much. While it’s annoying, you can mitigate the damage if you realize the mistake fast enough.

What Do I Do if I Download Malware?

Now, there is a small distinction to make here: downloading and installing malware are different issues.

If you suspect you’ve downloaded malware through a phishing link, try to find and remove the offending file. If you can’t do that, don’t worry too much. Malware files often hide themselves; this is more of a quick check to see exactly what you’re dealing with. Basically, it’s a good idea to take a quick look, but don’t spend too much time searching.

Whether you find it or not, run a full antivirus scan and see what comes up. It should find any malicious files you downloaded and allow you to look through them and see if you recognize them. You’ll then be able to quarantine and remove the suspicious files.

If you’ve clicked on and installed the malicious file, you’re likely dealing with some serious malware. You may need to try reformatting your hard drive or look into a more specialized rootkit scanner. In the absolute worst-case scenario, you may need to buy a whole new hard drive, but obviously, this is a last resort. There are several steps to take when you discover malware that will help contain and remove the infection.

Under no circumstances should you ever respond to further requests from the person or organization where you downloaded the malware-ridden file. Often, this malware is used as part of a ransomware scam where the scammer offers to “unlock” or “return” your information in exchange for money.

Even if it isn’t, nothing good will come from engaging with them anymore. Just block them and report them as scams.

What If My Login Info Was Stolen?

Most phishing emails are more preoccupied with stealing your information, using a fake website or app login to nab your credentials.

If you think your login information was stolen, you must act quickly. Start changing any passwords on accounts associated with the compromised email address on a different device. If you suspect your primary device is infected, it could have a keylogger installed to steal your data as you type. You can also try to detect a keylogger on your smartphone.

This could be a lengthy process—though it is much quicker if you use a password manager—so make sure to start with the most important accounts first, such as your bank account and any other accounts that might have your credit card or bank information.

If you suspect that your credit card information was compromised as well, don’t hesitate to reach out to your bank; it’s a relatively hassle-free process to get them to disable your current credit or debit card and issue you a new one. It might lead to an irritating few days where you might need to withdraw some cash, but it’s often better safe than sorry.

Plus, ordering a new credit card does have some fringe benefits; it’ll purge any subscriptions or memberships you might have forgotten about, if nothing else.