How to increase your information and cyber security

This makes phishing emails one of the most common ways that scammers obtain passwords, or bank and card details. Unfortunately, because so many fake emails are sent out every day, there is always someone getting scammed.

Think twice before clicking on unexpected links

Be careful when clicking on links, attachments, or downloading programs sent by email. Even if the sender is someone you trust, it can be manipulated to trick you. Only click on links if you are sure about who the sender really is.

If you click on a link in an email, you may end up on a fake website that is often very similar to the original website.

By hovering over the link, without clicking on it, you can see the real name of the website. If the website name does not match the sender, or looks strange or different in any other way, do not click on the link.

By hovering over the link, without clicking on it, you can see the name of the real website.

Never give out your personal information

Does the message urge you to act quickly? Does the message ask you to provide your card details or password? Never give out personal information at someone else's request.

Secure your passwords

Your login details for a service can be compromised if you click on a link and then log in to a fake website, or if the service is hacked and suffers a data breach. Secure your passwords to prevent personal information, such as login details, from being leaked to unauthorized persons.

To secure your passwords:

• Never give out your passwords.
• Use unique and strong passwords with many characters, numbers and symbols.
• If possible, use a password manager.
• Have different passwords for your most important services, such as email, social media, and BankID.
• Use multi-factor login. Multi-factor login means that you verify your identity with a password in combination with e.g. BankID or a code you receive by text message.

Phishing protection checklist:

• Check the email carefully before clicking on a link or opening an attachment. Check the language and grammar.
• Also check whether the email looks different from usual. It may be an attempt to trick you.
• Reputable companies, authorities and organizations will never ask you to provide personal information via email.
• Never log in with your BankID at the request of someone who contacts you unexpectedly.
• If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Stop the scammer

Scamming and theft have increased in recent years. Here are some more tips to help you reduce your risk of being a victim.

• Always call the police on 114 14 if you suspect that someone has tried to scam you, or if you are the victim of a crime.
• Never give out your passwords or codes to anyone.
• Contact the authority, bank or company that the caller claims to be from directly.

What is phishing?

Phishing is a method by which a scammer tries to trick you into giving up important information, e.g. by clicking on fake links or attachments. Phishing is the practice of obtaining account details or other valuable personal information, such as passwords, or bank and card details, by tricking and manipulating internet users. These attempts are usually made via emails that appear to come from a legitimate sender.

How can you tell if you have received a phishing email?

Phishing
A phishing email may look like a normal email, asking you to click through to a fake website. Scammers will often try to trick you by claiming that you need to provide information in order to verify or protect your account from a breach. This is to get access to your private information, such as passwords, or credit and debit card numbers.

Targeted phishing
Targeted phishing, also known as spear phishing, targets specific individuals or organizations known to the recipient. In these cases, the attacker targets individuals and performs thorough preparatory work, such as identifying the employees of a company. The aim is to get you to click through to a website full of malware that will infect your computer.

Telephone scams
Vishing, which means voice phishing, is when the scammer uses the phone to scam people. The attacker often pretends to be from a financial institution, the police, a healthcare professional or a bank official, and tries to trick you into providing personal details, using your bank-provided password generator or BankID.

Fake text messages
The word smishing is a blend of the words SMS and phishing, and refers to fake text messages. There are online services that allow anyone to easily send text messages from any sender, making it difficult to tell if a text message is from a real sender. It is therefore important to remain vigilant and not click on links in text messages.

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