Protecting you against phishing

What is phishing?

'Phishing' is a technique used by criminals to try to steal information about a person's identity. They can do this via email, text and even over the phone.

How does phishing work?

Phishing email

Usually, a phishing scam begins with an email which looks like it's from a genuine business – a bank, for example. It often uses logos and fonts exactly like those of the business it's pretending to be from.

This email usually asks for details like usernames, passwords and PINs. There's normally a link to click on, which would take the person to a fake website. These can often look legitimate.

Phishing website

The fake website usually has a form that asks for personal details which no credible business or organisation would ever ask someone to reveal.

If you see 'https' at the beginning of a web address in your browser or a padlock symbol next to the address bar, then you are on a secure website.

IMPORTANT: Under no circumstances should you ever enter and submit your details into a form like this. It can lead to your identity being 'stolen' – and can ultimately also lead to money being taken from your bank accounts.

How can you spot a phishing scam?

Phishing isn't always easy to identify. Look out for things like:

• Poor spelling – those committing scams often have weak English language skills
• Non-personal address – the scammer probably doesn't know you by name, so they might address you as 'Dear Sir/Madam' or similar
• Genuine email address – at a glance, fraudulent emails can look like they're from Vodafone, but you should always double check – if it doesn't end with '@vodafone.co.uk' or '@vodafone.com', it's not from Vodafone
• The URL/web address of any links – check that it's genuine, isn't unusually long and doesn't include special characters or letters substituted by numbers
• Requests to act fast – you'll often be urged to take action immediately, otherwise your account will be suspended
• Unexpected email – try to think if there's a good reason for this business to be contacting you

You should always avoid any request that sounds vague, unlikely or too casual, for example: "our database has been corrupted, please re-send your details."

What should you do about phishing scams?

The first thing to do is – nothing

Don't reply to the email. Don't click on the link. And definitely do not enter and submit any of your personal details.

If you click on the link and enter your login details but then have doubts, open a new web browser window or tab and type in www.vodafone.co.uk. Log in to My account, then change your password. If you can't do this, please contact us.

What to do next

Email

If you receive a suspicious email that claims to be from Vodafone, forward it to phishing@vodafone.co.uk. We'll investigate it and try to find out where it came from.

Text message

Phishing texts will usually ask you to do something – like click on a link or call a number. Keep yourself protected by doing the following:

• Delete the message
• Don't phone the number – you could be charged a lot of money
• Don't click on the link – it could infect your device with a virus

IMPORTANT: We'll never ask you for your PIN or password by text or email – and we'll only ever text you if you've opted in to receive texts from us. You can check if you've done this in the My account section of our website.

How else can you protect yourself against phishing?

Invest in some good anti-phishing software

There are many different types of protection software available for mobile devices and PCs. If you've got a smartphone, you can download special apps to protect your mobile. Make sure you get yours from a legitimate app store, like the Apple App Store, Android Market™ or BlackBerry App World™.

You can also protect your PC with anti-phishing software. Buy yours from a name you trust – like McAfee, Norton or similar.