Would you know how to spot a phishing scam if you saw it?

We’ve all received them in our email or SMS inboxes, purporting to be from these big name brands. These unsolicited messages can end up in anyone’s inbox - scammers don’t discriminate and have even targeted a company CEO and an MP before- so its important that everyone remains vigilant and alert to the signs of that message received being a phishing scam. By typing a clean link to the website yourself and logging in that way, you can easily tell if the email is genuine and not risk giving the scammers your details by clicking that handy little link that they have provided for you within the method of communication they have sent you.

So many big name companies are finding out that their names are being used in such scams - Amazon, PayPal and eBay are just three of the big name brands that most people receive these emails from - and they aren’t the only ones. Wonga SA have also found themselves in the same situation and have recently had to escalate their complaint to the Hawks for further prosecution and hopefully potential prosecution after they contacted police at the start, when they were first alerted to the scam in their name. Receiving an average of 300 complaints a week, a fraud hotline has been established to warn customers about the widespread phishing scam being run in their name. Many vulnerable people have unfortunately fallen victim to the scam but it is great to see a big companies such as Wonga SA taking steps to rectify what is such a horrible situation for both consumers and their company.

Also read: Here's how you can avoid being a victim of an internet dating scam

It is certainly becoming increasingly hard to distinguish whether some marketing communications we receive are genuine or not. Phishing emails are definitely becoming more intelligent - often changing a digit or letter slightly in the email address in the hope you won’t realise it isn’t the genuine email or using the companies actual logo within their communication - but there still are a few tell tale signs to alert us to whether the email is the real deal or not. If the email asks you to click a link within the email due to a security breach, it is most likely not genuine - a real company would ask you to visit the site through a clean link and log in so that you can ensure your details are protected.

With everyone being seen as a target, it is important for both consumers and these big companies to be completely educated on ways to spot such a scam and how to rectify the situation should it occur. Companies setting up specialised phone hotlines and email addresses are a great help and a positive step towards helping consumers to report such scams to the relevant companies. If everyone works together, hopefully less vulnerable people will find themselves falling victim to these phishing scams and companies can start to use their much needed resources elsewhere.