Don't get your Bitcointalk account "phished" (Desktop/Laptop)

[Cantsay]

The rate at which phishing methods are evolving is so scary, assuming OP wasn't observant who knows what would have been the outcome? There was  a video I saw on YouTube on how some phiser changed some few characters on a web link which will result to you going to an entirely different website for example changing the "i" to "I" in bitcointalk to  bItcointalk. It would be difficult to note the difference most expecially when you're not conscious of it.

[KingsDen]

To all the suggestions the OP has described, I would suggest completely disabling private messages from newbies.
In addition, having received a PM from other people unknown to you, you can always wonder why he writes this. I like to immediately view the latest posts that were written by the sender. You can often tell a lot from them. Whether this user was recently active and what he is actually interested in on the forum.

I recieve bunch of messages from newbies but I hardly reply, I would instead look at the username if it's family and open the message. Otherwise I will read and likely not reply if it's not relevant. Meanwhile, I don't offer services for now, I don't think I could have an important message from a random user. I am not also here for hook up. Even in social media, I don't like chatting and I hate it when chat persist. It should be able to start and end within few minutes.

[Oceat]

The rate at which phishing methods are evolving is so scary, assuming OP wasn't observant who knows what would have been the outcome? There was  a video I saw on YouTube on how some phiser changed some few characters on a web link which will result to you going to an entirely different website for example changing the "i" to "I" in bitcointalk to  bItcointalk. It would be difficult to note the difference most expecially when you're not conscious of it.

Once you are observant enough I think it's enough to just take some time to check the letters of the site you are going to visit, it won't cost that much but double checking is just enough. Even if you are not computer savvy you still can check them just don't click all the way once you see a link, always be cautious to everything when it comes to internet especially when it's something personal like emails or messages. Always bookmark your top website that you usually visited to avoid any trouble such as finding the link in Google which is not a good idea if you are in a hurry since Google sometimes will give a wrong link.

[Alisha-k]

If you try highlighting a link and it doesn't appear at the bottom of your browser this a red flag for a possible phishing attack. If it eventually appears do well to read the domain name carefully and observe the color of the link just as OP stated. Sometimes even trusted users can launch an attack on your account. Cross checking every link sent is another way to stay vigilant

[Wakate]

Hackers now are taking extraordinary steps to get what's they want from their victim especially when they know that the account they are trying to hack is a reputable one with many merits in it. We ourselves need to take extraordinary measure to make sure that we don't fall victim to this kind of attack because they can be tricky most times and we all have to stay safe. Having a wallet address where we can be able to sign message could save us the stress if we eventually falls victim mistaken.

[Pmalek]

I believe detecting the phishing site thing with hovering of the mouse on a link will work on PCs and desktops, not on phones; at least not on android phones.

Click and hold the link, your phone should display a menu similar to when you right-click on a link on a PC. On the top you will see the link, and among the options, you can copy the address and then paste it in your address bar in a new tab. There, it's easy to check where it goes.

I think pm also support hyperlink so be careful with the links provided in pm.

Yes, you can customize and code a message via PM like any other post on Bitcointalk. Hyperlinks, images, and everything else works just fine.