1. Seasonal Phishing Scams

The holiday season’s allure is often used as bait in phishing scams. From fake holiday discounts to spoofed end-of-year rewards, these scams can be convincingly disguised, making them particularly dangerous. Scammers will also use a sense of urgency this time of year, so be wary of emails that ask you to act quickly/now.

How it happens: Scammers send emails or messages that appear to be from legitimate sources, offering irresistible deals or bonuses.  It asks the employee to click a link or enter details which the hacker can then leverage to undertake a cyber attack.

Defence strategy: These days, phishing emails are often sophisticated and can bypass standard spam filters. Therefore, the best defence is to educate employees.  Let them know that if things are too-good-to-be-true – they probably are.  Further, employees should always verify the legitimacy of any festive season promotions or communications. They can do this by checking the domain name of the sender and checking spelling and grammar.  If an employee is still unsure, they should be encouraged to call the sender to verify the offer over the phone.