Phishing is the fraudulent practice of sending emails pretending to be from reputable companies to suck individuals in, to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers. Phishing attacks have become so sophisticated and often exactly mirror the site being targeted, allowing the attacker to see or look at everything while the victim is navigating the site.
Phishing emails request that users click on a link in the email which will direct users to a “spoofed” website, which is a site designed to fool users into thinking that it is legitimate to obtain, verify or update contact details or other sensitive financial information. The spoofed website will look almost identical to that of a legitimate or a well-known financial institution. Phishing emails which are a form of spam email, are typically sent in large numbers to consumer email accounts. The criminals send them in the hope of tricking recipients into disclosing their personal information in fake online platforms on the spoofed websites.
Dos and Don’ts
- Do not click on links or icons in unsolicited emails.
- Do not reply to these emails. Report the email by using Phish Alert button on your Outlook.
- Do not believe the information of unsolicited emails without proper checks. If you feel that there may be some truth about what is been sent, use your own contact details to contact the sender to confirm.
- Also make use of the known weblink or type it on the browser address bar to access your banking platform.
- Check that you are on the authentic/real site before entering any personal information.
- If you think that your device might have been compromised, contact your bank immediately and your information security team.