9 Feb 2022
Protecting your information online
Summer holidays are all but over and most of us are back into our daily routine. As we get busier with work and life it can be easy to let our defences down when it comes to online security.
One of the more common scams is called “phishing” - where scammers try to steal personal information. According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Scamwatch website, there were over 71,000 reports of phishing attempts in 2021.
While this may sound a bit alarming, there’s no need to throw away your computer and shut down your email account just yet. There are some simple things you can do to protect yourself from phishing attempts - one of the most important being to stay informed and vigilant.
What are phishing scams?
Phishing scams are attempts by fraudsters to trick you into giving out your personal or financial information. These scammers pretend to be from a legitimate business such a bank or utility provider.
If a scammer gains access to your information through phishing, they will often use it to carry out further fraudulent activities such as using your credit cards or stealing money.
How to spot a phishing scam:
Scammers use many techniques to try and obtain your information, and their attempts can be quite convincing. Scammers may try to contact you by email, social media, phone call, or text message. Here are some warning signs to look out for:
- The communication claims to be from a bank or other business you regularly deal with and asks you to update or verify your details.
- The communication does not address you by your proper name, contains typing errors or grammatical mistakes.
- The message is unexpected, contains a sense of urgency, a deadline, or makes threats to spur you into action.
- You’re asked to click a link, open an attachment, or are sent to a website which asks you to enter your information.
- The website address does not look like the address you usually use and is requesting details the legitimate site does not normally ask for.
5 tips to protect yourself from scammers:
- Don’t give out personal or financial details over email, SMS, or phone. Call the organisation directly to verify that the request is legitimate.
- Be suspicious of any unsolicited emails - never click on links or attachments within these emails.
- Do an internet search using the exact wording of the email or message to check for any references to a scam.
- Don’t enter sensitive details into a website you’ve arrived at by clicking on a link. Go directly to the website by typing in the URL.
- Look for the secure symbol on websites before entering any confidential details.
For more information about phishing and other scams, visit Scamwatch or the Australian Cyber Security Centre website.
PSK Financial Services Group Pty Ltd ABN 24 134 987 205 trading as PSK Private Wealth; is a Corporate Authorised Representative & Credit Representative of Charter Financial Planning Limited, ABN 35 002 976 294. This document contains information that is general in nature. It does not take into account theobjectives, financial situation or needs of any particular person. You need to consider you financial situation and needs before making any decisions based onthis information.
