Hull-based broadband ISP and network operator KCOM, which is operates its own Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network across East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in England, has warned customers to be on the lookout for a new phishing email that attempts to impersonate the company in order to commit fraud.
The fraudulent use of a legitimate / trustworthy business image (phishing) is typically designed to fool users into entering their personal, financial or other private information. This data is then stolen and abused for the fraudsters own gain. Such attacks usually take the form of emails or similar online messages that appear to come from official sources, but in reality are fakes. Most redirect you to a false website or software for illegally collecting your data or injecting your device with malware.
According to KCOM, the latest phishing email was sent to some of its customers regarding “not using your account in weeks“. The scam email then asks recipients to click a link before requesting their personal information and, naturally, you should NEVER click such links.
However, such emails can often be so well crafted that they risk tricking all but the most experienced of internet users, particularly those using a Smartphone, where it’s often much more tedious to give the email content a closer inspection (e.g. checking the link without clicking and looking at the source code to see if the email was sent by a legitimate KCOM domain / contact / server).
A KCOM spokesperson said:
“We would urge customers to be wary of any suspicious emails arriving in their inbox. Although it is not unusual to see so called “phishing” attempts – where fraudsters try to gain people’s personal details – we have seen an above normal number of attempts within the last 24 hours.
Our advice is always ‘if in doubt, delete’ and never click on a suspicious link. We advise customers who have already clicked on the link to change their password immediately. We will never ask you for personal information, such as bank details, via email.”
Sadly, customers of broadband and mobile operators are targeted like this all the time, although the same also happens with popular internet subscription services (Netflix, Amazon etc.), delivery companies, HMRC and so forth. As we say, the best phishing attempts can be very convincing and may even use personal data that has, in the past, been stolen from you or extracted via other sources. Suffice to say that when it comes to online security and privacy, a little paranoia and an abundance of caution is usually a good thing.
For further support and information about scam calls and emails, visit www.actionfraud.police.uk.