If an email looks remotely suspicious, don’t open it. It’s easy to click on email that you don’t recognise and be hooked by its content, but things may not be what they seem. Email fraud is commonly known as ‘phishing’. You’ll receive what looks like a genuine email from a company asking you to click on a link, download an attachment or claim you’re owed money. These are all techniques that helps fraudsters access your personal details.
Don't get hooked
Vishing is the telephone version of phishing. These are phone calls from fraudsters (pretending to be your finance company or bank) who will encourage you to give out personal details. They may already have some of your personal information such as your name, address, or phone number to make it seem more believable. These calls will often seem urgent to encourage you to act as quickly as possible; giving you minimal time to think about whether the call is fraudulent.
Avoid becoming a victim
Smishing is when a fraudster sends a text message pretending to be from your bank or finance company to say there’s a problem, asking you for sensitive information to try and trick you into giving away your personal and security information. Typically, you’ll receive a text that you weren’t expecting containing a website link, asking you to click through or call a number which you don’t recognise.
Keeping fraud savvy
Fraudsters will often impersonate companies on social media to gain personal information including your name, DOB, address and name of your bank. They may even use this to put the pieces of your identity together to apply for financial services or products in your name. Please note that we would never ask for your agreement information over social media.
Staying protected