What is phishing?

What is phishing?

Jemma Smith (Head of PR - APACS) gives expert video advice on: Is it safe to use my card to purchase over the internet?; What is being done to stop phishing?; What do I do if I think I have disclosed my personal security details on a phishing site? and more...

Phishing attacks in the UK have really been focused on online banking users. It's where an organized gang typically send out large numbers of emails in the hope that they're going to hit the mailbox of a genuine customer of a genuine bank or similar business with a large number of customers. The email will typically invite you, as a customer of that bank or business, to click on a link. It will take you to something that looks, probably very, very similar to the genuine bank or business website and will ask you to disclose personal information. Of course, because it's a dummy website, what you're actually doing is disclosing that personal security information with the foragers who will then try and use that to transfer money out of your online bank account to another UK bank account for then, subsequently, wiring overseas.