Phishing uses fraudulent emails, texts and phone calls (vishing) to trick recipients into handing over personal and financial information such as account details and passwords. Such attempts are becoming increasingly professional and try to appear to be genuine by mimicking the look and brand of trusted companies.

There are several ways to spot phishing emails:

• Be suspicious of any urgent requests for personal or financial information
• Check the quality of the communications. Misspelling, poor punctuation and bad grammar are often tell-tale signs of phishing
• Check hyperlinks and email addresses by hovering over them to show where they lead. If they aren’t genuine, they will often be peculiar web or email addresses.

How can you protect yourself?

• Always ensure you are using a secure webpage when submitted credit card or other sensitive information. Secure web addresses begin with ‘https://’ and/or show a security lock.
• Do not give out personal information in response to an unsolicited email, phone call or text.
• Be sure you are going to the correct site by typing in the address yourself
• If in doubt, call the company which the email claims to be from. They will usually be able to confirm whether the communication is genuine or not.
• If you think one of your accounts has been compromised, you should change your password immediately.

If you have clicked on a suspicious link or opened an attachment, suspect you have a virus or have any other IT Security concerns, please contact IT Help.