Phishing attempts have become more sophisticated and harder to spot in recent years, luring an increased number of victims. You need to ensure your staff are savvy enough to identify phishing emails in order to protect your company. This blog will provide you with some helpful tips on how to safeguard your business.
What is phishing?
Phishing is when criminals trick people into sharing their financial and personal data. It can also be a way for a cybercriminal to attempt to gain access to a company’s network and extort money from them. A thief may also pose as a member of staff and request cash or gift cards.
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Common email phishing scams
Tech support
A hacker will offer to “fix” your computer but install malware instead.
Clone or spoofing
Criminals clone emails from reputable sources to trick you into sharing your private information.
Spear phishing
Criminals disguise themselves as someone known by the individual. Scammers research to discover details about a company or individual to make them look credible.
Whale phishing
Similar to spear phishing, however, these are attacks targeted at high-profile people like senior executives. The scammer pretends to be a higher authority to gain information.
Link manipulation
The email entices someone to click on a link that takes them to a fake version of a popular website. It then asks them to confirm or update their credentials.
How do you spot phishing scams?
Phishing emails can appear legitimate, but you need to look out for the following tell-tale signs that they’re fake:
- If immediate action is required, question it. Phishing scams often use the tactic of urgency to get people to rush into action before they’ve had a chance to think about it.
- Poor spelling or grammar.
- Distorted or poor-quality images or content.
- Inconsistencies in the email addresses, links or domain names.
- Any emails requesting personal information or payment details. A legitimate company will not ask for these.
- Unsolicited attachments.
- It is not personalised. If it says ‘dear customer’ or something similar, be wary.
- The email address is not official.
How do you protect yourself from phishing scams?
- Educate your employees regularly about common scams. If employees are ever unsure, they should contact the IT provider or IT team.
- Test your employees by sending a fake phishing email to see how many open it. This is a great way to identify who needs more training.
- Keep your software updated and make sure you have the latest version installed.
- Install security software such as spam filters and firewall programs.
- Do not respond or unsubscribe to any scam attempts. Contact your service provider to investigate.
- Enforce password policies and use multi-factor authentication.
You need to raise employee awareness and ensure they know of all the latest scams. Train them on how to spot the common and less obvious signs, as well as reporting any phishing attempts.
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