JFSC sends warning to businesses after spike in malicious emails
- Scams
We are warning businesses to be alert to phishing emails, following an increase in attempted attacks since the outbreak of Covid-19. We aware of a spike in malicious emails which try to get recipients to make payments, hand over usernames and passwords, or download files on to their computers, which could contain viruses or ransomware.
Phishing is a type of cybercrime where criminals send an email that appears to be from a legitimate company or person asking the recipient to provide payment or sensitive information, such as banking or credit cards details, login credentials, or personally identifiable information. Fraudsters will generally carry out these attacks for financial gain or to harvest usernames and passwords.
Davey Sandiford, JFSC Cyber Security Senior Manager, commented:
"Malicious actors are increasing their campaigns across all sectors at the moment, looking to exploit not only the fear factor around Covid-19, but also the number of people working from home who may be less cautious and more likely to fall victim to a scam email.
We have certainly seen an increase in phishing attempts being blocked by our systems, including specific targeted emails using impersonation techniques.
It is imperative that we all remain vigilant. If you receive an email that you have concerns about, you should not carry out any action requested by the sender, whether that’s clicking on a link, opening an attachment, responding with your details or making a payment."
We recommend that businesses look out for:
- Requests to transfer money or make a financial decision / activity
- Insistent calls to act now. Phishing emails often try to create a sense of urgency to demand immediate action
- Grammar and spelling mistakes in the email address, body of the email or in the name of the person signing off the email
- Requests to click a link or open an attachment. Hovering over the URL may help signal a fraudulent email.
Unless you are sure, do not call the telephone number listed in the email. Instead, contact the person separately to check that their email is genuine.
If you think you have fallen victim to a scam, you should contact the States of Jersey Police on (01534) 612 612.