Catch a phishing email

Although phishing emails can be very convincing and persuasive, these tips can help you work out if the emails you receive are the ones to avoid:

- The unsolicited email isn't addressed to you personally, eg 'Dear Customer'.
- It is from a free email account, such as Hotmail or Yahoo.
- The email address does not tally with the name of the company or its trusted website.
- There is an image rather than text and this image links straight to a website.
- The email is unexpected and is unlike the usual correspondence you receive from that company.
- Personal information is requested, eg passwords, user names or account verification.
- There are lots of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.
- You are urged to respond immediately.

Here are the three main types of phishing email to look out for:

Social engineering: "During one of our regularly scheduled account verification procedures, we have detected a slight error in your billing informationÂ…"
Threatening: "If you do not take immediate action, your account will be closed downÂ…"
Frightening: "We have noted an abnormally large payment from your account. Please fill in the form to verify that you authorise this paymentÂ…"

Do not respond to any suspicious emails and do not send or confirm any personal details. Fraudulent emails can be linked to phishing websites. If you are worried about any of your accounts, contact the relevant company by telephone or send them an independent email. Find out what more you can do to protect yourself from the phishing fleet.