Phishing scams are when fraudsters use email, text messages and phone calls to get you to visit a website that then steals your personal information.
Once you have clicked on the fraudster’s website it will then launch a virus that steals information such as your bank details.
This can allow criminals to withdraw money from your bank account without your permission.
Phishing scams are a huge problem that carry garve consequences.
We understand that anyone can fall victim to a phishing scam, however alert you are, and we are keen to reassure our clients that it is not their fault.
The scammers use a host of sophisticated ways to get you to click on their link. It might be an email pretending that you have won a prize or it may be a text message that falsely purports to be from a parcel delivery service and that you need to click the link to collect your package.
Millions of these phishing scams are sent out every day and many are protected by anti-virus software but it is inevitable that some get through.
If you are the victim of a phishing scam we are here to help you recover your money.
Our lawyers are incredibly understanding and help victims of phishing scams recover their money as quickly as possible.
How do I avoid phishing scams?
- Have a strong firewell on your computer. This may not always prevent the email being sent but if you do click on a link it may well prevent you from being hacked.
- Try to only click on links from people or organisations you know. This is not always possible but if you received an unsolicited text or email from someone then only click on a link if you are sure of the sender. If someone needs you to click a link they can contact you in a different way.
- Make checks. Particularly with emails you can look at the full address from the sender to see if it matched the person or organisation that it claims to come from. Very often the real email address which sits behind the senders name will be nothing like the person or oganisation they are pretending to be if they are a fraudster.
- Check spelling and grammar. A lot of phishing attacks originate from abroad, where English may be a second language, so if the text or email doesn’t seem well written this can be a warning sign.
- If you are in a hurry, don’t click. Very often scammers sending phishing emails and texts are relying on you being too busy to make checks. If you are busy, or tired, don’t click any links until you have more time.