A fake payment form on classifieds websites, an email urging us to accept changes to a site’s policy or links directing us to a supposed “Facebook” login – these are the most common methods used by fraudsters to swindle our sensitive data. As police remind us, “phishing” has become an increasingly popular theft method since 2015. “In the case of phishing campaigns, the best line of defence is always caution,” uniformed officers remind.
Extensive information about phishing crimes was published on Friday on the website of the Polish Police. “Phishing is a type of fraud that involves pretending to be another person, impersonating a company or institution to phish for sensitive information, login details, credit card details, bank account details or passwords used,” the police reminds and adds that the number of scams of this kind has been continuously increasing since 2015.
“Recent months have been record-breaking in terms of the number of fraud attempts observed via email, SMS or messaging service. This increase coincides with the coronavirus pandemic and the associated reduction in personal contact and the shift of many daily activities to the Internet,” it indicated.
Most of the attacks we may encounter are simple tricks that rely on repetitive patterns and don’t require a lot of work – but there are enough of them to keep us vigilant.