Hi everyone,
Scams are becoming more sophisticated every year. Criminals use fake emails, texts, calls, and apps to trick people into giving away passwords, bank details, or personal information. This guide explains the most common scams and how to protect yourself.
Phishing or email scams
Phishing emails are fraudulent emails pretending to be from legitimate companies like your bank, delivery services or mobile phone provider which are designed to get you to handover your personal information such as passwords, usernames and bank details. Some of these scammer emails might be pretending to be Lebara, and may alert you to an account issue missed payment or pending restriction of service.
Common signs of phishing emails are...
How to avoid phishing scams...
Smishing (SMS/Text Message Scams)
Very similar to phishing scams, smishing scams come via text message pretending to be legitimate messages from your bank, delivery services or mobile phone provider which are designed to get you to handover your personal information such as passwords, usernames and bank details. Text message sender information can be spoofed to match a legitimate company so don't trust a message even if it appears in the same SMS chain as other genuine messages.
Common signs of smishing messages are...
How to avoid smishing scams...
As a general rule if you have any suspicions about the validity of a message you receive air on the side of caution and contact the organisation in question directly using contact information found on their website.
If you any additional tips on avoiding scams or have direct experience let us know in the comments below.
Scams are becoming more sophisticated every year. Criminals use fake emails, texts, calls, and apps to trick people into giving away passwords, bank details, or personal information. This guide explains the most common scams and how to protect yourself.
Phishing or email scams
Phishing emails are fraudulent emails pretending to be from legitimate companies like your bank, delivery services or mobile phone provider which are designed to get you to handover your personal information such as passwords, usernames and bank details. Some of these scammer emails might be pretending to be Lebara, and may alert you to an account issue missed payment or pending restriction of service.
Common signs of phishing emails are...
- Urgent language (“Your account will be suspended!”)
- Suspicious sender email addresses
- Links that don’t match the official website
- Requests for passwords or verification codes
- URL's that are long or don't have company names
- Unexpected attachments
How to avoid phishing scams...
- Never click links in unexpected emails
- Go directly to the company’s official website by typing it into your browser
- Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Check the sender’s email address carefully
- If unsure, contact the company through their official website
Smishing (SMS/Text Message Scams)
Very similar to phishing scams, smishing scams come via text message pretending to be legitimate messages from your bank, delivery services or mobile phone provider which are designed to get you to handover your personal information such as passwords, usernames and bank details. Text message sender information can be spoofed to match a legitimate company so don't trust a message even if it appears in the same SMS chain as other genuine messages.
Common signs of smishing messages are...
- Urgent language (“Your account will be suspended!”)
- Requests for account details or passwords
- Spelling mistakes or non local language
- A generic ‘dear customer’ header
- Links that don’t match the official website
- URL's that are long or don't have company names
How to avoid smishing scams...
- Don’t click links in unexpected text messages
- Don’t reply to suspicious numbers
- Block and report spam numbers
- Contact the company directly through their official app or website
- Report any suspicious messages by forwarding the message to 7726
As a general rule if you have any suspicions about the validity of a message you receive air on the side of caution and contact the organisation in question directly using contact information found on their website.
If you any additional tips on avoiding scams or have direct experience let us know in the comments below.
Comment