How to protect oneself
Protecting oneself from phishing is easy and user friendly. There is no need to be an IT expert to detect a possible e-mail fraud. In case of doubt it is always better to wait before clicking. Phishing messages are usually generically addressed to “Dear Customer”, without specifying first name and last name, and are requests such as “We invite you to confirm your account data” or “If we do not receive an answer within 48 hours, the account will be closed”.
In case of a link, it is often described as “Click in the underlying link to access your account”. One must always place the mouse on the click button (without clicking) and verify if in the yellow window the visualized address corresponds to the original one or if it includes suspicious alphanumeric strings. Often the internet address at a glance resembles that of legitimate sites, but at a closer reading one can spot misspellings such as www.micosoft.com, www.mircosoft.com, www.verify-microsoft.com and the like.
Reminder: No Company of the Iccrea Banking Group requires you to enter personal information or access id directly via e-mail.
A couple of simple rules to protect oneself from phishing attack
- Beware of personal data request received via e-mail and most of all never provide them via e-mail because they are not protected: in between the time they are sent and received they can be intercepted
- Never send personal data such as bank account numbers, password etc. via e-mail.
- Never click on “suspicious” e-mails links, but always access through the original site by personally typing the address on the address bar.
- Often change password often and avoid using always the same one….
- When accessing a website asking for your credentials, make sure it is a protected page: they have https:// and not http:// on the address bar and a small lock on the lower right end of the page.
- Update your PC:
- Install an updated antivirus and antispyware
- Always update the browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Forefox, Safari, Camino, Opera, etc.). All the latest browsers support anti-phising filters warning you if fraud messages are detected, preventing access to websites with phising - Often check your bank account to verify anomalous accounts payable and receivable, from unknown sources. If detected immediately inform the police and block your bank account..
Reminder: No Company of the Iccrea Banking Group requires you to enter personal information or access id directly via email.