Phishing & Scam Awareness
Phishing is when attackers pretend to be someone you trust to steal your information, money, or access to your accounts.
Big red flag
Any message asking for your OTP / verification code is almost always a scam.
Common phishing types
You’ll see phishing in many forms
- Email phishing: fake emails from ‘banks’, ‘HMRC’, ‘delivery’, etc.
- Smishing: phishing via SMS/text messages
- Vishing: phishing via phone calls
- Social media DMs: fake giveaways, urgent messages, impersonation
How to spot it fast
Phishing signs
- Urgency: ‘act now’, ‘account will be closed’
- Pressure: ‘don’t tell anyone’, ‘do it quickly’
- Suspicious links: strange domain names or shortened links
- Requests for codes, passwords, bank details, or remote access
- Poor spelling, odd formatting, strange sender address
What to do if you receive one
- Don’t click the link
- Open the app/website yourself (official route)
- Verify using a different channel (call the known number)
- Report and block the sender
Key takeaways
- Phishing = pretending to be trusted
- Urgency + OTP request = huge warning
- Verify by going to the official app/website yourself
- When unsure, pause and confirm through another channel