Phishing scams are on the rise. Due to the global pandemic, more people are spending a significant amount of time on the internet to stay connected with colleagues, family, friends and for entertainment. This heavy reliance on technology has unfortunately provided hackers more opportunities to scam people with malware and phishing attacks.
Google reported 149,195 active phishing websites in January. That number rose by 50 percent in February to 293,235 websites. In March, that number rose again to 522,495. During the week of April 12, Google’s Gmail service blocked about 18 million malware and phishing emails per day and more than 240 million COVID-related daily spam messages.
According to Google, cybercriminals have been creating fake emails that pretend to be the World Health Organization and ask for donations. These same emails are also designed to trick you into downloading a malicious file to take over your computer.
There’s many more examples out there and for Australians, you can keep track with all the latest scams on ACCC’s (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) Scamwatch website: https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/ which has an interactive tool. There are a lot of useful information on how to protect yourself from scams and where to go to for help and support. You can also do your bit and report a scam which is an easy 5 step click through form.
In addition, attached is a handy flowchart that you can use to help you verify unknown emails which is an important step in protecting yourself. You can download the PDF below.
Practical Advice for Avoiding Phishing Emails
Phishing emails require one thing to be successful: someone to take the bait. Here’s a handy decision tree to help you verify unknown emails, an important step in protecting yourself.
