Category: Warning

How to Spot a Phishing Email

phishing

Phishing is where you receive an email that appears to be from a trusted organisation but is designed to get your personal information such as login and password or credit card details.

Anti-virus software can protect you from some of these emails but many get through that protection.

Never put your personal Information in an email!

No reputable company will ask for personal details such as passwords, credit card details, mother’s maiden name etc. by email.  So, if you do get such a request – refuse.

Phishing Emails will usually have some or all of the following indications.

  1. Typing and Grammatical Errors

Many scam emails are translated from another language and that often leaves a tell-tale of poor grammar and odd use of words.  Anything with typing errors shows lack of professionalism and is unlikely to be found in an email from a reputable company. Also, some scammers deliberately put grammatical errors in messages to reduce the number of return messages they get.

  1. An attachment

Never click to open an attachment unless you are sure it is safe.

Attached files can contain viruses and other malicious code that can damage your computer, steal confidential information or hold you to ransom.  If the company is one that you already deal with then contact that company to check the email and attachment are safe.

  1. Links

A link may look as if it is safe but if you hover the cursor over the link then it may display a different value and not what you expect.  If this is different  to the text, then clearly something is wrong and potentially unsafe.

  1. Don’t Fall For Stories

If an email appears to be from a family member or friend  in trouble don’t reply immediately – check the truth of the story first by other means.

  1. The “From” entry

This is just text so the sender can make it show anything they want. To check the email sender – hover the cursor over the name and it should show the real senders email address. Even if this matches it does not absolutely prove that the email came from that address .

  1. The “To” entry

If the email is from a reputable company that you already deal with then it should show your correct name. If it shows nothing or ‘To recipients’ or an unknown name then the email is almost certainly a spam message sent out to large numbers of people. Beware.

STAY SAFE

The Danger of Online Pharmacies

drug-1070943_640Self-diagnosing
Medical professionals receive extensive training and understand the effects of drugs in single use or in combinations.

It is dangerous for anyone to self-diagnose, look up drugs on the Internet then buy from unregulated online Pharmacies. DO NOT put your health at risk in this manner.

The Pharmacies that sell prescription drugs without a prescription are acting illegally.
Online Pharmacies
If you have a valid prescription, it may be tempting to save money by buying from an online pharmacy, but  medicines should not be seen as regular consumer products and fake medicines can cause real harm to your health.

It can be difficult to distinguish between registered online pharmacies and other commercial websites. The General Pharmaceutical Council operates an internet pharmacy logo scheme to identify legitimate online pharmacies so that you can be sure you are purchasing safe and genuine medicines online.

Check for the internet pharmacy logo when buying medicine online.

You can also check the registration status of the pharmacist by looking for the name and address of the pharmacy operating the website, as it should be connected to a “bricks and mortar” pharmacy.

Medicine sold from disreputable websites can be poor quality at best and dangerous at worst. What you receive in the post could be counterfeit, substandard or unapproved new drugs, which can put your safety at risk.

And never reply to spam emails offering cheap drugs. These are mostly scams.

Drugs from an unregistered website could also be dangerous to your health because they may be out-of-date, diluted or fake.

Always get your medicine from a pharmacy or a reputable outlet.

Refer to the NHS Choices website for further information

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/pharmacists/Pages/internet-drugs.aspx

Facebook Phishing Scam

angry-35446_640

There are numerous phishing emails and text messages that try to trick victims into giving away confidential information like account sign-on details or credit card numbers.

Usually, these messages claim the victim’s account has been frozen until they sign on again by clicking a link that leads to a bogus page imitating the real provider of the account.

These can usually be spotted easily but there is a new phishing scam. This is in the form of a comment  on an item on the user’s Facebook page.

The Scammer creates an account with an official sounding, security related name, so the victim may believe the comment has come from Facebook. The comment maker then warns that the user’s account is to be disabled unless the user verifies their details.

The warning says something like :

“Your page has been reported by others about the abuse, this is a violation of our agreement and may result in your page Disabled. Please verify your email account to prove this is your page and help us do more for security and comfort for everyone. Please check your account as proof of legitimate owner of the account that you use. Make sure you enter the correct details below.”

The message has two boxes for recipients to enter their email address and their Facebook password, along with date of birth details and a “Confirmation” button, which is linked to a bogus Facebook page.

In both cases, after providing their sign-on information, victims are asked for their credit card number.

The message warns: “Caution. If you do not update your credit card your payment page will be disabled.”

Sometimes, there’s also a link to a phony PayPal sign-on page.

This is quite a complex and well-executed scam but hopefully the poor wording will flag it up for what it really is. Even if Facebook stop this scam, other scammers are likely to will try something similar.

Facebook has pages of information and guidance about security and what to do in the event you think there is something suspicious in progress.

Bogus Hotel Bookings

hotel-1191726_640

Up to one in every 16 online room bookings is a fake, according to official figures.

The Federal Trade Commission says travellers have arrived at hotels only to learn there’s no record of their reservation, the hotel is fully booked, or they have to pay more for the only upgraded room available.

How does this happen?

You type in the name of a hotel and then click on the first result on Google. However this first result may be a scam website that looks like the real hotel site and once you enter your details – the money will disappear and you may believe you have a room booked, but in fact haven’t and you only find that out when you arrive at the hotel.

In other cases, the bogus sites actually pose as online travel agents, again using genuine logos and photos.

And in at least one reported case, a fake site had a “contact now” button that connected victims with a fully-staffed, bogus call centre.

Just because a webpage looks like the official site of your favourite hotel chain doesn’t necessarily mean it is. Before you reserve a room for your next out-of-town meeting or family vacation, make sure you know who’s at the other end of that BOOK NOW button.

Book directly through a hotel chain using the toll-free number or web address on your rewards card or in print ads.

Carry a printed copy (or an easily accessible smartphone copy) of any email confirmation you receive after making your booking.

How to Book Safely

  1. Check that the website address matches what you expect (you wont get a legitimate booking for Hilton hotels at fredsplumbing333.com for example)
  2. Book directly if possible
  3. Before setting out on your journey, call the hotel (using a number you know to be genuine) to confirm they’re expecting you.

[source: scambusters.org]