Businesses Warned of Phishing Scam
PSNI’s Cyber Crime Centre are advising Northern Ireland businesses to be on the alert for phishing scams
Phishing is a scam where criminals send emails to thousands of people. These emails pretend to come from trusted organisations such as government departments, agencies, banks and credit card companies. Scammers will try to trick you into going onto a website to update your password by getting you to click on the embedded link in the scam email. The website that you are taken to looks like the real thing but it actually is a fake to trick victims into entering personal information.
New phishing scam
The latest phishing scam involves asking recipients for payment of an outstanding invoice. The emails concerned are designed to appear as though they have come from a contact you may know and will contain a subject heading of ‘Invoice number 57685’.
The scam email contains a link to view the fake invoice which will in fact lead to a document designed to download malware. Designed to steal user credentials, it is believed, the malware also harvests a victim’s email contact book before spreading itself to these addresses.
Email safety advice
The PSNI has issued the following safety measures for businesses when it comes to online security:
- do not click or open unfamiliar links in emails or on websites
- check the legitimacy of any email received
- use two factor authentication for processing payments
- ensure you have up-to-date anti-virus software and perform regular scans, including scans for malware
- if you have clicked or activated the link you should seek professional advice from a reputable company
See protect your business against phishing.
Online safety and security guidance on email.
