Scam emails or ‘Phishing’ increase at Christmas time

Phishing emails are getting cleverer, more realistic and more frequent.

We are all exposed to them personally and while at work, so we must equip ourselves to spot them. At this time of year, we can see a rise in fake emails pretending to come from companies that are Christmas-activity based. These scam emails are trying to steal your personal data by asking you to do something like update your username and password or enter your bank account details.

Sometimes they can be offering you money, refunds or prizes...

Here are some helpful ways to spot these fake emails:

• Look at the email address, not just the sender’s name. Make sure it is a valid company address. If I doubt, check the company website for contact details.
• Look again at the email/web address. Some false addresses look remarkably like the real ones.
• Look for grammatical mistakes, not just spelling mistakes. When crafting Phishing messages, scammers will often use a spellchecker or translation machine, which provide all the right words but not necessarily in the proper context.
• Hover your mouse over any links. Before you click on a link, ensure the web browser address is the one you expected to reach and not a fake website.
• Look out for a sense of urgency. If the email is rushing you into doing something, contact the sender using a different method to check it is from them before you respond.
• Follow your instincts. If it feels dodgy, it probably is!

If you notice a scam email in your email inbox, please mark it as Phishing by selecting the ‘Junk’ option in your email window and then ‘Phishing’. Doing this helps to improve the effectiveness of the SPAM filter.

There is more advice and guidance at www.wlv.ac.uk/its/essentials/cybersecurity