Phishing Email Guidance

We would like to remind you about the importance of protecting your personal details when online and how to spot a phishing email.

What is phishing?

Phishing is a type of cyberattack that uses fraudulent emails, text messages, phone calls or websites to trick people into sharing sensitive data or downloading malware.

Top tips for protecting yourself against phishing emails:

• Be suspicious of emails that ask you to check, renew or share your logins or passwords. An official source will never ask you to share personal details or login credentials.
• Do not open attachments or click on links within emails without first establishing that they are legitimate. Did you know, you can hover over links (without clicking) to see if the link looks legitimate? In many basic phishing attempts, the actual link differs from the one you see in the email.
• Check the source of the email. Do you know the sender? Were you expecting to receive the email? Be wary if not, and always try to verify the sender.
• Check the nature of the email. If the content of the email tries to persuade you to do something that seems too good to be true, or insists you complete an action with urgency – this may be a sign the email is fraudulent.
• Check for tell-tale signs of spam. Spelling or grammatical errors, or issues with the quality of graphics and images held within the email are often tell-tale signs that the email is not legitimate.

NHS Professionals will never ask you to provide details relating to ESR or pay as security checks. If you receive any emails or calls requesting such detail please report this immediately to the National Service Centre or your local NHSP team.