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Phishing 101 – Don’t bite the bait

We’ve all heard the term “phishing” floating around and it does not entail a lovely boat trip out at sea with a rod, sunscreen and some wine. Phishing is the dreaded nemesis of the online world, no-one wants to experience it yet the chances are good that you will; should you not be completely informed and aware.

What is this phishing business you may ask? It is an unlawful act where a criminal sends an email to a user falsely claiming to be an established and legitimate company in the attempt to scam that user to disclose private information; particularly financial and password details. Should you be the victim of such an act, the criminal has access to your personal information which they then use for identity theft.

In a nutshell, you need to know that such an email normally directs the user to visit a website that asks you to update personal information – such as details about your credit card, bank account numbers and passwords – all particulars that the legitimate organisations already have. The website you’re directed to is false and fraudulent, even though it looks real. If one is not extremely careful you will be the next one to be tricked.

Also known as “brand spoofing” or “carding”, the bizarre term derives from the similar concept of bait being thrown out with the hopes that someone will bite.

An increasing amount of South Africans are victims of phishing and you can be next! Carolyn Holgate, part-time tech expert and full-time General Manager at Mweb Connect – gives the following advice to avoid being scammed by these criminals:

•    One click: Be wary of emails from banks that ask you to send them your password via email or click through links in their emails. Banks will never ask you to do that. If you’re unsure, rather be safe and call your bank manager to find out whether the email is legit than risk losing everything.

•    Check your S’s: Always make sure that the websites you enter are secure. You can check this by looking at the web address of your login page. If it reads “https” it means it is secure (the ‘s’ at the end of http stands for secure).

•    Always be one step ahead: Examine the link provided by a potential scammer. If you’re being directed to a site that’s different to what it says it is, then exit immediately. Prevent a scam and copy and paste the link to your address bar first, don’t click it. You can, however, still get tricked by URL’s that look legitimate but have one or two letters switched. Keep an eye open for this.

•    Just say no: Never agree to help someone transfer money overseas. No matter how appealing it may be to get a percentage of a small fortune, you will get caught out. 

•    Spelling: Always look carefully at the message you have been sent for misspelled words and bad grammar. Often scammers operate in a second language and this will be a sure tell-tell sign.

•    Call on the pros: Should you have fallen victim of a phishing scam, let your financial institution know immediately. This way they can monitor your account more closely and will be able to keep a watch out for the scammer.

•    Eyes of a hawk: Keep a close eye on your mail and accounts. If statements stop showing, chances are a scam is in the making – call your bank immediately

*Carolyn Holgate is the General Manager of leading South African Internet Service Provider Mweb.
 
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