According to the national website for policing in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Police.UK, Briton’s report millions of cases of online fraud every year. While this is unlikely to come as a surprise, the fact that many of them could easily be avoided might.
By adopting a handful of good online habits, you can dramatically reduce your exposure to online fraud. This is particularly true when it comes to protecting your emails, which are especially susceptible to phishing attempts.
On this, the final day of our series of blogs looking at ways you can protect your wealth from scams, read on to discover five powerful ways to shield your emails from criminals. Before you do though, let’s look at what phishing is in more detail.
Phishing aims to deceive you into revealing sensitive information
In short, phishing is where fraudsters pretend to be a trusted organisation, such as HM Revenue and Customs, Royal Mail or a reputable retail chain. Typically, the message will ask you to click a link or provide sensitive information, which criminals then use to try to access your accounts and steal money.
Alternatively, clicking the link may result in malicious software, otherwise known as malware, being installed. This is designed to gain unauthorised access to your computer system, which may provide criminals with sensitive information or access to your financial accounts.
Another way cybercriminals may try to steal from you is to impersonate a company you have dealt with recently and ask for money. If you receive an invoice or demand for money from a business you deal with, or have dealt with, ensure all the details are correct.
Criminals sometimes copy an invoice but change the bank account details, so that you pay the scammers and not the company that you worked with.
You can protect yourself from email scams by taking simple actions
The good news is that you can significantly reduce the chances of falling victim to a scam by being sceptical of any unsolicited messages. Furthermore, it’s important to verify all communications to maximise your email security.
The following are five simple yet highly effective ways to do this:
1. Remain vigilant
One of the most effective ways to protect your emails is to familiarise yourself with common scams, such as phishing, identity theft and fake job offers. Understanding them means you’re better placed to spot criminals if they try to contact you.
2. Enable two-factor authentication
This requires a second form of verification over and above your password. This could include using an authenticator on your mobile phone, a security key or a fingerprint. Using two-factor authentication (2FA) provides an added layer of security, making it harder for criminals to access your accounts even if they obtain your password.
3. Don’t click links or download attachments
If you receive an unexpected email, do not click a link that’s included within it. Likewise, don’t download any attachments contained within the message. Doing so could result in malware being downloaded, which could provide criminals with access to your bank accounts, investments and other assets.
4. Verify the sender
Whether the email is from a trusted source or out of the blue, always look closely at the sender's email address for any discrepancies or misspellings. Remember that fraudsters often use addresses that look similar to legitimate ones but may have slight variations.
An example of this is where cybercrooks send phishing emails claiming to be from rnicrosoft.com, in which they place an ‘r’ just before an ‘n’. This makes the two letters look like an ‘m’ at first glance.
5. Use spam Filters
As most email providers have built-in spam filters, it’s important to ensure they are activated to catch potential scams before they get to your inbox.
Report scam emails
If you receive a phishing email, you can report it to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which has the power to investigate and remove scam email addresses and websites.
Reporting a suspected scam email is free and only takes a minute. Reporting phishing attempts means you could:
· reduce the amount of scam emails you receive
· make yourself less of a target for criminals
· protect others from cybercrime.
Get in touch
We hope this blog offers some useful ways you can guard against scam emails and phishing attempts. If you have investments and receive an email about them, always confirm with your financial adviser that the message is genuine.
For more information on this, or how we can help with pensions, investments and financial planning, please call us on 0333 010 0008.
8 May 2026