It is said that to catch fish you need to use the right bait. Well, the same rule applies to the Internet. For decades now, online scammers have been finding increasingly sneaky new ways to lure unsuspecting Internet users into handing over their personal information through "phishing scams. Whether it is a spam email promising vast riches or a long, complex, meticulously constructed scam, phishing is a very real threat.

Tom's Guide recommends choosing the best VPN for your privacy and security to promote Internet safety. Surprisingly, the VPN that is currently the number one VPN is the one that is most focused on preventing phishing, among other things.

NordVPN became the first VPN to be certified by the independent AV-Comparatives as an anti-phishing tool. Specifically, their Threat Protection Pro system became one of only eight products certified in 2024.

Available as part of the "Plus" and "Ultimate" subscriptions, Threat Protection Pro is NordVPN's attempt to protect users whether or not they are connected to a VPN. It is a tool designed to protect users from phishing scams, malware, and fraudulent websites. It automatically scans the URLs, links, and advertisements of the web pages you visit. It works at a deeper level than other DNS filtering tools, going beyond domain-level checks and working at the Javascript and URL level. This not only curbs pesky ads, but also provides more comprehensive protection and peace of mind.

Subscribers can also use Threat Protection Pro to scan all downloaded malware. [As of this writing, Threat Protection Pro is only available on desktops (PC and Mac) and not on mobile devices.

AV-Comparatives, an independent Austrian organization, has put NordVPN Threat Protection Pro through its paces. The tool was presented with many links, ranging from legitimate to disguised phishing scams.

Responses to these links were scored on two different factors. NordVPN passed the test, achieving 85% accuracy and reporting a perfect score of zero false positives. Here's another reason why we think highly of NordVPN.