What is phishing?
Phishing is when criminals attempt to trick people into doing 'the wrong thing', such as clicking a link to a dodgy website.
- Phishing can be conducted via a text message, social media, or by phone, but the term 'phishing' is mainly used to describe attacks that arrive by email.
- Criminals send phishing emails to millions of people, asking for sensitive information (like bank details), or containing links to bad websites. Some phishing emails may contain viruses disguised as harmless attachments, which are activated when opened.
Phishing emails try to convince users to click on links to dodgy websites or attachments,
or to give sensitive information away (such as bank details). This advice* includes tips
about how to spot the most obvious signs of phishing, and what to do if you think you've
clicked a bad link. For more information, please visit www.ncsc.gov.uk/phishing.
View this useful handy guide on how to spot them and how to deal with them* (pdf) from the National Cyber Security Centre.
