How to protect yourself from online fraud: a guide for everyone

Online fraud has become increasingly sophisticated. It's no longer just badly written emails, but messages that look genuine, cloned websites and phone calls that imitate your bank. The good news: with a few simple rules, you can avoid most of them.

The golden rule: nobody asks for your full details

No bank, courier company or reputable institution will ever ask you by phone, email or text message for your password, your PIN or the code on the back of your card. If someone asks for them, it's fraud, however official it looks.

Signs of a fraud attempt

• Artificial urgency. They rush you: your account will be blocked in a few minutes, act now.
• Strange links. The address isn't exactly the official one but a lookalike, with letters swapped.
• Offers that are too good. You've won a prize in a draw you never entered, or an expensive product is going for next to nothing.
• Mistakes and odd wording. Poorly translated messages or an unnatural tone.

What to do in practice

• Don't click on links in unexpected messages. Go straight to the official website by typing the address yourself.
• Check the sender carefully, not just the display name.
• If you get a suspicious call from your bank, hang up and call the official number on your card yourself.
• Don't install apps that strangers ask you to install, and don't give anyone access to your phone screen.

If you've been caught out

If you've handed over details or money, act quickly: call your bank to block your card, change your passwords and keep the evidence. Report it to the authorities. The faster you react, the more you limit the damage.

Why we're writing about this

At AI Soft we build secure systems, and we believe digital education is part of security. The more easily people recognise fraud, the harder they are to fool. Share this article with the people close to you, especially those less used to technology.