What Are Phishing Scams?
Phishing fraudsters use emails, text messages or phone calls to trick their victims into visiting a fake website that downloads a virus onto your computer to steal your bank details and personal information.
The virus allows scammers access to your login and password details, enabling them to transfer money from your bank account.
Many of the emails or messages they send look authentic, designed to mimic your bank or building society, so we understand how easy it is to fall victim to fraudsters.
Indeed, Government figures show that British citizens lose an estimated £1.4bn to online scams every year.
So the first thing you need to know is, it is not your fault.
Scammers send out millions of fake emails and text messages every day and, while many are filtered out by spam filters or anti-virus software, some will always find their way through.
If you are an unlucky victim of a phishing scam, our understanding lawyers can help you get your money back as quickly as possible.
How To Avoid Phishing Scams
Phishing emails and text messages are becoming harder to spot, with fraudsters getting better at making messages look almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
It’s important to remember that it’s not if, but when, you will receive a phishing scam attempt.
But there are things you can do to protect yourself against phishing fraud.
- Check the link before you click: scammers will often pretend to be sending messages from a bank or even the government, for example offering you a bogus tax refund.
But before you click, hover over the link to check it is the correct web address for the organisation that is contacting you – often it will be similar but with subtle differences. - Check the email address of the sender: if you receive an email, closely check the email address behind the sender’s name to see if it matches the organisation it purports to be from. Very often, it will bear no relation at all to the sender’s alleged organisation.
- Does the email start with ‘Dear Customer’? This is a red flag, as you’d expect a trusted source to know your name.
- Check grammar and spelling: many phishing attacks are carried out by people overseas and, as such, the text often contains spelling and grammatical errors. If you spot an error, or the language seems clunky, this can be a warning sign.
- If you click through, closely examine the website: if you find yourself clicking on a link, the website you visit may look very similar to the real thing. However, again, look closely at the web address and separately visit the organisation’s real website – you will note a number of differences.
- Check that a site is secure: before submitting any personal information on a website, check that the web address begins with ‘https’, which denotes a secure website.
- Install a firewall on your computer: a strong anti-virus firewall on your computer can help prevent your information being stolen if you should click on a malicious link.
- Make sure your browser is up to date: your web browser will regularly ask you to download the latest version, which often includes vital security updates.
- In a hurry? Don’t click: scammers often rely on people in a hurry clicking links in phishing emails or texts without thinking. If you are busy or tired, don’t click any links from unsolicited messages until you have the time to check them properly.
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