On the 1st of October the Centre for Cyber Security Belgium (CCB) and the Cyber Security Coalition launched a national cyber security awareness campaign. This year the focus is on phishing . The aim of the campaign - not coincidentally during the European Cyber Security Month - is to make internet users think twice before clicking a link in a message.
Would you recognise phishing?
Phishing is online fraud through fraudulent e-mails, websites or messages with the intention of stealing your identity or bank data, blackmailing you, hacking into accounts, etc. Cyber criminals try to take advantage of something you believe in or someone you trust. They usually try to get you to click on a suspicious link by acting on your curiosity or fear.
By moving over the link with your cursor (without clicking!) the actual web address appears in a pop-up (not what you get to see in the mail itself). If it is very long and meaningless or very complex, or if the domain name has nothing to do with the so-called sender, it is probably phishing.
You receive phishing messages unexpectedly and without reason, they are compelling in tone or try to tease your curiosity, they usually contain language errors or have a vague form of address, etc. More and more often, fraudsters try to get you by sending false text messages or on social media such as Facebook or Whatsapp. Unfortunately, fraudsters are also moving with the times. And even though we are picking up on it more, phishing remains a major problem, both for individual Internet users and for companies, organisations and the government.
Oops, too quick…
Did you fall into the trap of a cybercriminal and pass on your data? Notify your friends immediately if you forwarded them a fraudulent message. Immediately change your passwords and notify your bank and Card Stop if you passed on bank data.
Although a lot of people know what phishing is and are able to recognise fraudulent messages, many people still click the links in fraudulent messages. Why? Often, people are just too quick. Before you know it you've clicked. That's why the slogan of this campaign is: ‘Relax! And think twice before clicking on a link’.
Received a suspicious link? Think twice before clicking and forward it to suspicious@safeonweb.be.
With this article, we support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.