Seven tips to help safeguard your business from phishing scams

The following article Seven tips to help safeguard your business from phishing scams is available on Nimbus CS, Northern Ireland

Phishing scams have become one of the most popular tools in the cyber-criminal's kit bag, representing a significant threat to any individual or business. Phishing is a form of identity theft that uses fraudulent websites and false emails to attempt to illicit and steal personal data. While a common danger, there are some simple tips to remember - some of them common sense - in order to ensure you do not fall foul of such scams. 1. Question the questioner If you receive an email asking for confidential information, you should be immediately wary. Legitimate organisations will never contact you via email asking for sensitive information such as bank details or passwords. 2. Take some time out to have a think Scare tactics are often used in phishing scams, hoping this pressure will cause victims to reveal information. Take five minutes to consider what you're being asked, and, if in doubt, contact the organisation directly to validate the authenticity of their request. 3. Peruse the privacy policy Much of the spam you receive on a daily basis is a result of signing up to various websites or mailing lists, which then sell your email address to another company, thus potentially opening it up into the hands of phishing criminals. Before signing up to anything, it is worth checking the website's privacy policy, which can usually be found at the foot of the page. 4. Beware of mail shots Fraudulent emails are often not personalised and are instead sent out randomly to a number of recipients. If you find an email asking for a generic request for information, you should be suspicious and avoid responding. 5. Avoid any requests for data via an imbedded form Forms embedded within email messages are particularly vulnerable, as senders can access all the information entered. 6. Leave links alone Do not click on any links contained within emails for websites unless you are absolutely sure they are authentic. 7. Keep up-to-date Making efforts to ensure all computer systems have adequate and up to date internet security software will greatly help protect your computer systems and the individuals that use them from falling foul of phishing scams, as security software is able to detect and block fake websites. Banking and shopping sites are also authenticated through the software. Need more info? Nimbus CS are here to help.