Cybercriminals are constantly developing new scams to trick their victims into providing personal and financial information. In recent years, there has been an increasing prevalence of phishing attacks targeting both individuals and businesses.
To help keep you safe, we want to share some important tips on recognising and avoiding phishing attacks.
What is phishing?
Phishing attacks are fraudulent attempts to obtain sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details, by disguising it as a trustworthy entity in electronic communication.
They are done by impersonating employees or representatives from companies such as The Access Group so the communication, which often occurs through email, text messages or fraudulent websites, may look authentic.
How to spot a phishing attempt and stay safe
To protect yourself and your organisation from falling victim to these malicious activities, we advise you to take the following precautions:
Be cautious of unexpected emails, especially those requesting sensitive information.
Look out for spelling errors, generic greetings, or urgent language pressuring you to act quickly.
Verify the authenticity of any links before clicking on them – you can do this by hovering over the link to check the actual URL.
Beware of attachments from unknown senders, as they may contain malware (malicious software).
Never share personal or financial information via email or text.
Use strong, unique passwords for your online accounts and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) where possible for added security.
Keep your software and security systems up to date to prevent vulnerabilities that could be exploited by cybercriminals.
Verify the email's sender is legitimate and the email address is as one would expect from the sender.
Note: Access will never ask you to share your bank details or notify you of a change of our bank details over the phone or by email.
If you ever receive a suspicious communication claiming to be from us, please do not hesitate to contact our customer support team immediately via the Customer Success Portal. Your security is our top priority, and we are here to assist you in any way we can.
Stay vigilant and stay safe online.