Phishing emails
07 April 2020
We’ve all received reasonably convincing spoof emails from “PayPal” and “bank” imitators at some point, which is why it’s good to have a handy guide to recognising what’s genuine.
Phishing emails
Phishing is the practice of sending a high number of emails, disguised as though they are from reputable companies. The idea is to trick individuals into revealing personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
More than 3 billion phishing emails are sent every day. Sending millions of emails in a single campaign costs very little money. Even if one recipient out of 10,000 makes one purchase, the spammer can turn a profit.
How to mange the risk
- Don’t store passwords where they can be easily seen.
- Be suspicious of email discounts or offers.
- Never respond to a message from an unknown source.
- If you detect a phishing email, mark the message as spam and delete it.
- Phishing emails will probably contain odd ‘spe11ings’ or ‘cApitALs in the sender’s email address.
- Phishing hackers are unlikely to know your real name, so the email may address you in vague terms, e.g. ‘Dear Valued Customer’.
Download the infographic to learn how phishing emails are used to trick individuals into sharing information and how you can protect yourself.