PayPal scam emails
One that’s been making the rounds this month is a PayPal email, telling you that your account is being closed because you haven’t used it in over three years. There’s a button at the bottom prompting you to make a new account – but it takes you straight to a dodgy website.
Scammers love to fake financial brands like this, especially ones you might use regularly as a business. The worst part is that the branding looks spot on – but the tone of voice is a bit suspect, with very formal language like “You will no longer be able to transact on this account”.
Halifax phishing email
There’s usually some variation of banking scam going on, and now it’s Halifax’s turn. An impersonation email is going around asking you to confirm your personal information in compliance with “UK banking regulations”. A fake button takes you to a phishing site that will steal all your information.
When it comes to a bank email, always check that they have included certain key details in the email to you. For example, Lloyds will always include your name and the last four digits of an account you have with them – if details like this aren’t there, think twice before clicking.
iPhone 18 Pro Max scam sites
The iPhone P18 Pro Max came out on Friday 18 September, and there are a whole bunch of copycat websites out there that claim they’re selling the product.
The official Apple website for the UK is www.apple.com/uk/. If it has anything else in the main domain name, it’s not real – so don’t enter your details! Of course, you can also pick up the new iPhone from your mobile network or reputable resellers like Amazon.
McAfee ‘protection has expired’ scams
Although this isn’t necessarily a new scam, it’s been picking up a lot in the past couple of months. Whether McAfee is your preferred antivirus or not, you might get an email saying your protection has expired on a specific recent date and that you can benefit from a huge saving if you renew today.
The best way to check if this is a fake is to check the email address it’s sent from – most of the time, the email will come from an address with a big string of random letters and won’t end with @mcafee.com.
Did you know you can report scam emails by forwarding them to the NCSC? All you need to do is send them to report@phishing.gov.uk
And, if you’re having trouble spotting what’s a scam and what’s not, give Pokkit a go. All you need to do is upload a screenshot of the email or tell it some further details, and Pokkit will assess the email and give you the right advice.
