A new multi-university study has arrived at the surprising conclusion that users who are the most active online are at the highest risk of falling prey to phishers. Active users are defined as those who receive and respond to a lot of emails, conducts online transactions frequently, as well as those who maintain many online relationships. 

As reported by The Star, Teju Herath, who is the co-author of the study and an assistant professor at Brock University said: "What we're saying is if you're bombarded with hundreds of emails every day, then the attention you pay to each email is going to be relatively low."

This is because email scammers attempt to exploit basic human weaknesses to distract readers with statements indicating urgency or free tickets. 

To defend yourself, Professor Arun Vishwanath from the University of Buffalo cited the use of spam blockers as "imperative." The use of filters helps reduce the number of unnecessary emails received, decreasing the likelihood that information processing and judgment are cluttered, he says.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at Network World
- check out this article at The Star

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