However you voted in the UK’s last major public vote, the EU referendum, it’s likely you had some questions about the results and what the next steps are for Britain. It’s no surprise then that scammers capitalised on people’s fears and uncertainty by launching a torrent of spam emails designed to poach personal details and commit various acts of fraud. The emails claimed outrageous headlines in their subject lines in a bid to catch those who may be searching for further information following this game-changing event. With a general election just around the corner, it’s expected that there’ll be more of these sorts of attacks on the way and it’s important to make sure that you’re protected against them.
Preying on the vulnerable through email
Following any kind of election or major political development, the general public is bound to have questions. Spammers and scammers are mindful of this and therefore cleverly construct emails that play on these fears. After the EU referendum, threat intelligence researchers reported a 392% rise in email scams which featured the word Brexit which encouraged recipients to either click links or download attachments which contained malware or led to people handing over their personal details and passwords. These sorts of attacks were designed to target vulnerable people, but also those who are generally aware of email internet spam, but who may be taken in over something that is a topical issue.
General election on 8th June – get prepared
With another major election on the way, it’s important to be wary of the possibility of further email scams which are sure to look authentic and authoritative. Email scams can cause a number of issues for business and organisations, including financial losses and confidential data leaks. Ensuring that your staff are guarded against these emails through some internal communication could help prevent any issues, but there are never guarantees with these sorts of mail scams.
MailCleaner is a specialist piece of software which can filter out 99% of email spam – blocking out the viruses and data theft which could be damaging to your organisation. Automatic filtering gives further protection to your business by removing the potential threatening emails before they reach employees. Even the best of us can slip up, so having a programme like MailCleaner in place can help prevent those damaging clicks that could happen before the person realises what they’ve done. It only takes one email to infect an organisation, and you owe it to your business, your customers or clients to stay protected.
Recent attacks on the NHS are just some of the most recent examples of damaging online crime. The general election will be held on 8th June, and with the potential for even more carefully-orchestrated cyberattacks in the aftermath of the election, it’s important to take action now. Protect your company through signing up to MailCleaner and stop your business becoming another headline.
Find out further information about MailCleaner and its benefits for your business by getting in touch with us today.