How to spot phishing

What is phishing?

Phishing is when scammers impersonate trusted organisations to trick you into revealing passwords, card numbers, or personal information. The name comes from fishing — casting a wide net and waiting for someone to bite.

Email phishing red flags

• Sender address does not match the organisation (hover to check the full address)
• Generic greeting: "Dear Customer" instead of your name
• Urgent language: "Your account will be suspended in 24 hours"
• Links that do not go to the real website
• Unexpected attachments
• Requests for information the real organisation already has

SMS phishing red flags

• Short links or unusual domains
• Claims about parcels you are not expecting
• Requests to pay a small fee to release a package
• Urgent notices about suspended accounts

The golden rules

• Never click links in unexpected emails or texts
• Go directly to websites by typing the address yourself
• When in doubt, call the organisation on a number you know is real