PHISHING SCAMS – how to protect yourself against Fraudsters

10 Nov PHISHING SCAMS – how to protect yourself against Fraudsters

SPEAR PHISHING SCAMS

Scams can be hard to recognize.

Spear phishing is the term used to steal data for malicious purposes or install malware on a targeted user’s computer by making an email or electronic communication look like it is coming from a trusted source. That email or online message then sends the recipient unknowingly to a fake website full of malware.

Reporting to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) has shown that business’ social media accounts are increasingly being spoofed by fraudsters for this purpose. Imposter accounts use your photos, verbiage, and anything they can find to make the imposter account look legit. This can affect even the high-ranking within organizations, like top executives, to open the email or message thinking it is safe. With the cloned or imposter accounts, fraudsters can target clients and employees with fraudulent messages and offers.

What to watch out for:

• Reporting from clients or employees about messages you did not send or post
• Unusual requests or messages from clients and employees
• Unusual messages from clients about how/when/where they can claim their prize
• Spelling and grammatical errors
• Unusual links or unfamiliar email addresses
• Requests to urgently verify your accounts, make a payment or claim a prize

What you can do to protect your business:

• Contact your service providers directly via the details listed on their official website if you’ve received suspicious or unusual material from them.
• Delete emails or SMS messages from illegitimate sources.
• Use strong, secure passwords and multi-factor authentications, such as requiring SMS confirmations when entering passwords.
• Secure your social media accounts and understand the terms of service for the social media platforms being used
• Get “verified” on social media – “Verified” accounts provide a level of authenticity and credibility
• Routinely monitor your own social media accounts for unusual post and messages
• Routinely search the name of your social media platforms for imposter accounts

Click here to visit the CAFC Website for more information.