Vishing Scams...what you need to know.

To avoid falling victim to cyber-criminals who are constantly developing new techniques, it's important for organisations and their employees to be aware of voice phishing, also known as "vishing."

Scammers use fraudulent phone numbers to impersonate authoritative figures like financial institutions, government organisations, corporate executives, or technical support personnel. They trick victims into sharing personal and sensitive information such as National Insurance numbers, credit card details, or account passwords.

To help employees detect and avoid vishing scams, it's crucial to share the following cyber-security tips:

1. Be cautious of callers requesting private information. Employees should never disclose personal details like usernames, passwords, or banking information. Even if they feel confident about the caller's legitimacy, they should verify by asking for a name and contacting the organisation through official channels, like the phone number provided on their website.

2. Exercise caution when receiving calls from unknown numbers. Employees should be wary of answering calls from unfamiliar numbers and allow them to go to voicemail instead.

3. Understand scare tactics. Vishing scammers often use fear to manipulate victims. For instance, they might claim that an account has been hacked and ask for a password to verify identity. Employees should be aware of these tactics and avoid falling into their traps.

4. Pay attention to audio quality. Robotic tones or unnatural speech patterns can indicate a spam caller. Encourage employees to hang up if they notice such signs.

5. Utilise spam protection features. Many phone brands and network providers offer built-in anti-spam features that filter, block, and report unwanted calls. Employees should explore setting up this protection on their personal devices.

Given that employees often have access to sensitive data, they become targets for vishing attacks.

However, by ensuring they are knowledgeable about these precautions, organisations can better protect their information.

To protect your company against losses associated with a cyber attack - give our team a call today.