Phishing includes emails, calls or texts from cyber criminals that pretend to be from a trusted source. These cyber criminals are after sensitive information such as financial details, confidential information, and passwords.

Spam emails are generally from someone or an organisation trying to market a product to you. Spammers are not generally trying to get sensitive information from you, although they may try to elicit personal information to add to their database for future spam attempts.

Be wary of:

• Poor spelling and/or grammar

• Unknown sender address and unrecognised phone numbers

• Communication that convey a sense or urgency

• Suspicious attachments

• Unusual address when hovering over link(s)

Tip: Identifying phishing emails on your mobile device is more challenging. Be extra careful and investigate further when you have access to a computer.

Social engineering is the psychological manipulation of unsuspecting people into performing actions or revealing information that undermines their own security of their associated group.

Social engineering techniques attackers commonly use:

• Take advantage of people’s curiosity or greed

• Invent scenario’s to obtain information

• Give something to get something

• Follow a person through restricted entrance

• Invent a scenario through email, text or phone call

Tip: Be mindful of the personal information you share on-line.

Malicious apps are mobile apps that replicate the look or functionality of popular apps to trick users into downloading them, infecting devices and stealing data.

To help identify malicious apps:

• Check the app icon for slight differences in shape and colour

• Check the reviews

• Watch out for low numbers of downloads on apps

• Be wary of extra symbols and extra words on the stated app name/developer

• Check the app description name for spelling and grammar errors