Fraudulent Emails

Fraudulent emails

Phishing is one the fastest-growing illegal online activities.

Through random spam emails, often posing as a security check, criminals bombard a large number of internet users in the hope that someone will reply to one of their emails with their details - enabling them to steal funds from you.

These emails often look convincing, using the logo of the organisation they claim to be from.

The name comes from fishing for passwords or credit card details, spelt in the hacker style.

It dates from around 1996 when hackers were stealing AOL account names and passwords from gullible new users. A hacked account is known as a "phish".

It has spread from stealing access to someone's email to stealing credit card details, PayPal balances or even the entire contents of a persons bank account.

Virtually all the main UK high street banks have been targeted in recent months, along with other popular websites, such as eBay and Paypal.

Once you are aware of the scam, following some basic rules will keep you safe from the hackers:

Dont click the link

Never click on a link in one of these emails, even if it looks legitimate to you. It is safer to type it in yourself or to cut and paste it from the email into your web browser.

This is really important because a bug in Microsoft's Internet Explorer means that a scammer can make a fake website look real.

A link that claims to take you to the PayPal site could point to a fake site, but thanks to the Microsoft bug it will still say www.paypal.com in your address bar.

If you do not regularly update your operating system from the Windows update site, this bug will still be in your internet browser.

Would these people really be emailing you?Use your common sense - think carefully about whether the organisation you are dealing with would really be asking for this sort of sensitive information via email.

By and large, companies like eBay, PayPal and major high street banks do not send out emails asking for personal and account details. They wait for you to log in and then tell you there is an issue with your account. Banks never ask for customer passwords in emails.

Call to confirm

If you are in any doubt over the email correspondence you receive, you are only a phone call away from your bank. It is better to be safe than sorry.

There has been a surge in phishing emails of late, with the major banks and the National High-Tech crime unit working round the clock to close down criminal websites connected to it. Sticking to these basic rules will ensure you will not be one of the next victims.