Page 15 - Cyber Warnings

Why you need to Think Before You Click this Christmas

“During Q4 over the past three years, the number of unique phishing sites detected has
increased each month but the number of phishing reports over the same time has declined ”

“Oh! What a wonderful time of the year”, as the song goes. Christmas is that occasion in the
year that we all look forward to - time off work, spending time with the family and the occasional
drink or two. Yet for many, they receive a lump of coal because they’re unable to distinguish a
Santa from a Grinch in their inbox because of Phishing emails.
Phishing is the method by which criminals and fraudsters try to either pilfer your data, steal your
login credentials, or trick you into downloading malware.

If you aren’t vigilant, you could make the grave error of interacting with a phishing email which
could mean that your Christmas is more Nightmare Before Christmas than Buddy the Elf.

According to an Action Fraud report, 23% of people who receive phishing emails open them
and with fraudsters becoming more and more subtle with their emails, it is vital that you are
extra vigilant of these emails over Christmas.

Being able to avoid a phishing email is simple and we’ll guide you through the world of phishing,
how to avoid being hooked and why you should care at Christmas.

What is Phishing?

Phishing involves scam emails being sent to you by fraudsters with the aim of stealing personal
information, login credentials or bank details. These emails more often than not mirror that of
brands you trust, luring you into a false sense of security or by scaring you into giving away your
details.

Each year, phishing is becoming more and more common, with the latest figures from APWG
showing that the amount of unique phishing sites being detected reaching over 158,000 a
month.

Why should I care about phishing during the Christmas period?

Phishing is becoming more sophisticated and targeted by the year, as a new phishing attacks
claim waves after waves of victims each time. These emails aims to target the widest amount of
people possible for financial gains; during Christmas these aims use our Christmas habits as a
framework to con those who are less educated in phishing.

Misleading communications cause a few headaches over the Christmas period as emails target
those looking for a pre-Christmas bargain to treat family and friends, and the kindness of
contacts sending e-cards or e-gifts.

15 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine December 2016 Edition
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