Archives - Phishing Scams


Look out for email extortion scams

Phishing is regularly associated with tactics such as a scammer telling someone they’ve won a prize, but it can also take the form of attempted extortion. Be wary of any email threatening to expose something about you unless you quickly submit payment. Simply delete it instead of engaging at all.

Be careful with LinkedIn resumé posts

Publicly posting anything on social media is a security risk if someone knows where to look. As with other personal details, hackers can turn your work history into a vital channel for breaking into your digital accounts or launching a phishing campaign. LinkedIn, for example, may contain all sorts of sensitive information about you. So […]

Verify your email contacts’ physical address

Some of the best-disguised phishing attempts speak to you like a person, use one or two things to personalize the message, and imitate company logos to a tee. But they might be missing a final sign of legitimacy – a real-life address on the email signature. Official business and customer care comms won’t be shy […]

Stay alert for smishing

Despite SMS being a somewhat outdated medium, “smishing” (SMS phishing) presents a real risk to your personal information and online security. It’s a perfect method for scammers because the limitations of simple text characters and links makes it easy to hide their true intentions. As texts are often received and read on smartphones, scammers can […]

Look for the ‘verified’ tick on YouTuber comments

Sometimes, a well-known YouTube series – especially those by an influencer – will feature fake accounts  in the comments section. These people or bots may pretend to be the YouTuber, mimicking their language to encourage you to click a phishing link. Fake prizes are a common hook; they often target some of the biggest accounts […]

How to spot an online scam

As you spend more time online, engaging in a greater variety of activities and digitizing previously analogue aspects of your life, you entrust your personal information to online processes. This opens up avenues that scammers may attempt to take advantage of. Keeping yourself protected from fraudulent activity is increasingly important, since so much of day-to-day […]