Ways You Can Detect a Phishing Link

As an Android user, you’ll be happy to know that malicious URLs are often easy to spot. Here are the top 3 ways to recognize a phishing attempt.

You don’t recognize the sender. Remember how your parents said never to talk to strangers? Well, you shouldn’t be opening their URLs either. If you get a message from someone you don’t know, opening the link they send you is a very poor idea. Additionally, hackers often pretend to be a reputable institution, like your bank, school, or employer, so be very careful.

The text message seems too good to be true. If the SMS says you’ve won the lottery or a contest you didn’t enter, then unfortunately for you, it’s probably a hacking attempt. While it’d be lovely to become an instant millionaire, you’re more likely to end up being someone with a hacked phone. So, don’t open that tempting URL.

The link appears to be shortened or contains odd characters. Phishing links often look a little strange. Hackers like using shortening services to create a compact URL. This trick is excellent for masking insidious URLs. But you can safely expand these links by using online tools, such as CheckShortURL and Unfurlr. On the flip side, a malicious link can also be very long and contain unusual characters. Symbols like “%” are often a warning sign that the original URL is encoded and hiding its dangerous origins.

When it comes to detecting malicious text messages on your Android there is a secondary way to safeguard your phone. Clicking on a link in a text message is a quick and easy way for a hacker to take control of your phone. To protect your device and personal information from phishing attacks, activate Anti-Hacking now:

Employees should always respect their office’s policies on cell phones. If your company doesn’t allow texting, then you shouldn’t be texting. Of course, things become murkier when work cell phones are provided, or if personal devices are allowed in the workplace. However, there are still some definite do’s and don’ts about texting at work.

Read More: How to Stop Your Phone from Dying Halfway Through Your Day

Context is Everything

A good rule of thumb is that your work cell phone should be used for work purposes only. Messaging a coworker or a client is acceptable. But don’t go texting family and friends on a device that your company provided for you, unless they have specifically said you can. If you urgently need to respond to personal messages, be brief and efficient about it. Otherwise, give your texting fingers a rest until lunchtime, your next coffee break, or when your workday ends.

Always Use Courtesy​

Even if your workplace allows texting, you should still follow the basic rules of phone etiquette. For instance, don’t keep glancing at your phone when your boss is talking to you, or if a colleague is putting on a powerpoint presentation. That should just be common sense; but in our world of cell phone addicts, you’d be surprised how often this is done.

These rules also apply for phone conversations. If you need to answer a personal call at the office, go into the hallway or an empty meeting room. Your coworkers don’t want to hear about your after-work plans, no matter how thrilling they are. A little bit of courtesy goes a long way in keeping the workplace environment professional, productive, and positive.

Set a Good Example

You can create a text-free workplace by setting a good example for everyone else. This practice is especially important if you’re a team lead, manager, or boss at the company. Your employees’ eyes are always on you. It can build resentment if there’s a strict “no cell phones” policy and you’re texting away to your heart’s content. The rules won’t be followed unless you enforce them. If you find your colleagues’ texting practices to be disruptive, don’t repeat them yourself. It’s important that everyone strives to create a workplace where employees and cell phones can live in harmony.

MightyText

MightyText is a favorite among users because it not only allows you to text from your computer, you can also schedule messages, text from Gmail, and check your phone’s battery level on your PC. First, you need to install MightyText on both your phone and your computer for it to work properly. Next, link your computer and your phone by creating an account. Make sure you sign in using the same email account on the computer and phone versions of the app. After that, you’re all set to start using MightyText to send messages from your computer.

Read More: How to Automatically Backup Your Text and Call Log

DeskSMS

DeskSMS isn’t limited to a single computer, but rather it lets you send and receive texts wherever you can open a browser. Using this app, you can send and receive text messages in your email as well as receive notifications in your Chrome or Firefox browser. To set up MightyText you first install the app on your phone and give it permissions. Next, you can authenticate your Google account, so the app has permission to send your texts as chats, emails, or notifications in the system.

AirDroid

Like the other two apps, AirDroid lets you send and receive text messages on multiple screens and devices. To use it, you first want to download AirDroid both onto your computer and your phone. After you follow the instructions from the set-up wizard, the system will ask you to “Sign Up” for an account. Once you’ve done that, open the app on your Android and sign in again. A prompt on your phone will take you through the last steps of set-up, and then you’ll be ready to text on your computer.

As you’re texting away a storm on your PC, you want to make sure your Windows system is protected with one of the best optimization solutions available: PSafe Total Windows. PSafe speeds up your computer, cleans up your PC to make it run more smoothly, and offers you unbeatable anti-virus protection.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could cue up that important text to ensure that it will be sent to him promptly at 1:15PM, when you know he’ll be out of his meeting and on his way to lunch? As it turns out, that’s not that lofty of a dream; in fact, many Android phones already possess the capability of this action. The trick is knowing how to do it. We’re here to teach you exactly that.

A few devices that run on Android actually already have built-in capabilities for sending SMS messages at a later date or time. For example, most Samsung phones — like the Samsung Galaxy S5 — have this feature. When you open up the “Messages” app on your phone, start a new message and type in your contact’s name or number and the message you wish to send to them.

You’ll notice that at the top of the message screen, there are three vertical dots. Tap on them to bring up a menu of options. In that menu, select “Schedule Message.” From here, you can type in the time and date that you wish to send this message on. Now, where the “Send” button usually is, you’ll instead see an image of a clock. This means that your message is ready to be scheduled to send at your chosen date and time. If you press and hold on to the message, you’ll also have options to send now, edit it, or cancel it, too.

Read More: How to Block Unwanted Text Messages on Android

Pretty simple, right? Well, not if your Android smartphone doesn’t have the option for this handy trick. If that’s the case, then fear not; there’s an app (well, many apps) for that! A few of the most popular and well-received apps for scheduling SMS messages include:

• Text Later. This free app sends SMS messages at any time or date you choose. It also features a “wake lock” option that ensures that all scheduled messages are sent, even if your device is in a CPU idle sleep state.
• Schedule SMS: Send it Later. This is yet another free app that schedules SMS messages, with a clean and user-friendly interface. All scheduled messages are saved in any easy-to-find place.
• SMS Scheduler. Like the others listed, this free app lets you schedule text messages in advance. It also allows you the opportunity to choose the frequency of sending messages — be it every five minutes or every hour.