Phishing Emails – Remember to stay vigilant

  There has been an increase in the number of phishing emails recently and, in particular, personalised spam emails that look extremely convincing. It is important to stay vigilant even with emails that appear to be from someone you know. Here are a few tips on how to identify phishing emails:

1. You will normally be asked to do something.   If an email asks for your telephone number or password or asks you to click on a link or open an attachment, please think about whether this is something that you are expecting to be asked for.
2. Check the sender address – make sure it is a valid email address for the sender by hovering the mouse over the sender; if they don’t match then it may be fake.
3. Even if it is a valid email address – think about whether the request is reasonable and likely to be from the person sending it.
4. Look out for red flags – such as spelling mistakes or sentences that don’t quite look right.
5. Avoid clicking the link – instead, open a browser and go to the company website directly then log in

If you are in doubt you should always verify via text message, phone call or sending a message to colleagues to see if they got something similar. As Cyber Attacks are becoming more and more sophisticated, it is important to continue to review your current IT Systems. Check in for a Smartdesc Technology and Security Review via; solutions@smartdesc.co.uk Further information can also be found at; Cyber Security Strategy and Planning The Smartdesc Secure Remote Toolkit also has a full set of security controls for charity remote working.