Phishing scams are attempts by scammers to trick you into giving out personal information such as your log-in details, email addresses, birth dates, bank account numbers, passwords and credit card numbers
Warning signs
1. You receive an email, text or phone call with a link prompting you to enter or verify account details
2. The email or text message does not address you by your proper name, and may contain typing errors and grammatical mistakes.
3. The website address does not look like the address you usually use and is requesting details the legitimate site does not normally ask for.
Protect yourself
1. Do not click on any links or open attachments from email asking you to log-in update or verify your details. Just press delete.
2. Do an internet search using the names or exact wording of the email or message to check for any references to a scam.
3. Look for the secure symbol. Secure websites can be identified by the use of ‘https:’ rather than ‘http:’ at the start of the internet address, or a closed padlock or unbroken key icon at the bottom right corner of your browser window. Legitimate websites that ask you to enter confidential information are generally encrypted to protect your details.
4. Never provide your personal, credit card or online account details if you receive a call claiming to be from your bank or any other organisation. Instead, ask for their name and contact number and make an independent check with the organisation in question before calling back.
If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your bank or financial institution immediately.
Source: Scamwatch
