Phishing\nemails are on the rise and it seems that not a day goes by without hearing or\nreading reports of new types of scam in the press. While some may have the\nattitude that they would never fall for a phishing email, it is worth keeping\nin mind that these emails are now more sophisticated and believable than ever\nbefore. Many businesses and individuals alike are falling for them, even those\nwho would consider themselves to be switched on and technically literate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many\nbusinesses, from giants such as Google, to start-ups, have lost money to\nphishing emails in recent times – no one is immune. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A phishing\nemail is a tactic that fraudsters use to get people to reveal bank details or\nsend funds. While we may all have laughed in the past about promises of\n\u2018sharing a lottery win\u2019 or \u2018getting a share of a large estate\u2019, phishing emails\nnow are more likely to look and sound as though they are from a colleague or\nsupplier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some signs\nare easy to spot, such as differing from and reply to addresses, slight\ngrammatical errors, or even an address that is very similar to someone you\nknow, but not quite. As a general rule of thumb, if you are even slightly\nsuspicious, double-check!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition\nto using fake business email addresses designed to look like someone you know,\nfraudsters will often use phishing emails conveying a sense of urgency, to make\nyou think that if you don\u2019t comply, you will be in trouble of some kind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For\nexample, it might be an email that appears to be from a regular supplier,\nsaying you must pay an overdue invoice now or risk being blacklisted. Or it\ncould appear to be from HMRC, saying you are overdue on a corporation tax\npayment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another\ntactic that fraudsters will use is to pretend that their phone is broken or\nthey are locked out of their usual email address, so always be vigilant if\nsomething appears to come from someone you know, but is asking you to\ncommunicate with them in an unusual way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Popular\nscams from phishing emails include fake invoices that look very real and\nplausible, tax alerts which scare users into thinking they have not correctly\npaid tax and even scams involving house purchases, where scammers send emails\nthat appear to come from your solicitor so you end up transferring funds to a\nfraudster. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While it is\ntrue that scammers are becoming ever more sophisticated, there are things you\ncan do to protect yourself. Never accept an invoice from an unknown business\nemail, even it does appear to be from someone you know. The same goes for\nopening attachments – if in doubt, don’t!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make sure\neveryone in your business knows and understands this. Make it company policy\nthat all invoices need to be signed off by at least two people. Also make sure\nthat everyone knows that if they are in any doubt, it is always better to check\n– then check again!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"