What is a phishing scam?

Phishing is a very common type of cybercrime that aims
to trick people into revealing personal information, which
is often then used for financial gain.

Examples of phishing scams

Phishing often occurs via email, phone, SMS or voicemail.

• An email that appears to be from your bank or credit card company, asking you log in or verify your account details via link.

• A text message claiming to be from a reputable company, urging you to click a link to resolve an issue with your account.

• A phone call or a voice message from someone pretending to be from your bank or a government agency, demanding immediate action to secure your account or avoid legal trouble.

Common phishing scam tactics

Here’s some common phishing themes:

• Appealing offers: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Be extra cautious and check for legitimacy.

• Urgent action: Attackers often inject a sense of urgency to make you feel you need to act straightaway. They may tell you your account has been suspended or that they’ve detected suspicious activity – and you must log in immediately to fix the problem.

• Incorrect recipients: Phishing emails may not address you by name – “Dear Customer”– or may even use an incorrect name.

• Attachments or links: Emails containing attachments or links should be treated with suspicion. Scammers may disguise malicious links, for example, use a “1” in place of an “l” – which is almost undetectable.

How to prevent phishing scams

Here are some ways to help avoid falling for a phishing scam:

• Don’t respond to a request for information if you recognise any of the warning signs listed above. Remember, it’s easy for scammers to appear to come from legitimate institutions.

• Don’t click on an attachment or link unless you’re sure it’s legitimate. If you’re using a computer, hover your cursor over the link to reveal the real URL.

• If a request seems odd, unusual, or suspicious, it probably is. If it appears to be from a company or someone you know, contact them by phone or another method to make sure they really sent the request.

• When in doubt, visit a website directly by typing the address into your browser instead of clicking on a link.

• Use multifactor authentication. This adds a layer of safety by requiring an additional identification method to log in to your account.