Cyber criminals will use something very interesting to grab your attention.

It might be a sensational news story, some shocking photos or an interesting video.  All designed to encourage you to click to see more but when you do – that’s where the fun ends.

What is Phishing?

Phishing is the process of tricking people out of information, often by getting you to respond to an email. It is usually for theft or fraud purposes.  You may think that you would be clever enough never to get caught but you should think again.  The emails are getting more sophisticated and with the technology available globally today it does not take much to trick somebody.

How do you combat phishing?

Here are our top tips to help you avoid getting caught out.   They may seem pretty obvious but we know smart people who just didn’t think and have lived to regret it.

• Trust your instincts if an email looks suspicious. Report and delete it.
• Watch out for poor grammar, bad spelling or a sense of extreme urgency. They can indicate a phishing email.
• Requests for personal information by email should always make you suspicious. Your trusted companies wouldn’t ask you to verify data in this way.
• Look for subtler approaches to capture information such as login details, including emails which bait you onto fake web pages.
• If you receive an email from a familiar sender but it is unexpected or raises concerns, ring them to verify it.
• Never click on a link in an email. Re-type the URL into a browser.
• Be wary of attachments. Always check with the sender before downloading.
• Be vigilant, and think before you click.

Some of your friends or colleagues will have been a victim of phishing, it is very prevalent.   We know that because we have heard the stories and in some cases had to fix the problems caused.  They are too embarrassed to admit they were caught out, who can blame them.  Don’t be the next victim – think before you click.

Watch our video to find out more.