Email Scams Predicted to Increase

With as many as 6 million Australians impacted by the recent data breach of Qantas’ call centre and customer servicing platforms. Hackers gained access to customer data by compromising one of Qantas’ call centres in Manila in the Philippines. With email addresses, birth dates, phone numbers and frequent flyer points now firmly in the hands of cyber criminals, we’ll expect to see a wave of targeted scams impersonating airlines, government agencies, and financial institutions in the coming weeks.

In a predictable yet dangerous trend that coincides with tax season, cybercriminals are using stolen personal data to craft convincing impersonation attacks. When a scammer has some of your correct details, that  fake ‘ATO’ email suddenly looks close to being legitimate.

More than ever it’s important to ensure that your passwords are intricate and complicated (using many higgledy piggledy letters, numbers and symbols), unique to each login and two factor authentication is turned on when possible. Above all keep your email login secure and regularly refreshed.

Remain vigilant with any emails or phone calls you receive and always check before disclosing any information or clicking on links.

If you have any concerns about any correspondence from the ATO or any financial institution please don’t hesitate to contact us at STS Accounting.