Suspicious emails, texts and phone calls
Learn how to spot a fraudulent email, text or phone call, so you’re not reeled in.
What is phishing, vishing and smishing?
It’s all too easy to get caught out by email. Before you know it, you’ve shared your personal information or opened an attachment that contains malware; this is known as phishing. Vishing is when fraudsters try to extract personal details directly by phone, using social engineering techniques. Smishing is when a fraudster tries to trick you into providing personal or account information via text or SMS message (this can include texting you links to fraudulent sites or phone numbers to fake call centres).
Spotting and avoiding suspicious emails and phone calls
It's not always clear you're being targeted. Fraudsters will impersonate genuine organisations and firms to convince you to provide usernames, passwords for online accounts and emails. They may contact you to say they have concerns or inform you there is fraudulent activity on your account and then ask you to provide remote access to your computer or device. Be aware, trust your instincts and take your time. Don’t rush into providing any personal details or sending monies. It’s okay to hang up the phone, ignore emails and to obtain information by researching trusted sources.
Urgency
Unexpected calls, emails, text or social media messages
Requests for personal information and passwords
Emails with suspicious or mismatched URLs
Poor spelling or grammar in emails
Remote access requests
Where to get help
If you’ve received an email or call from someone posing as Fidelity contact us on 0800 358 7712. Here are some other useful contacts.
