Fraud Prevention Advice
Fraud Prevention Advice from Slater Heelis
Our IT Team has provided information and tips below on how to stay safe online, which can be especially important when you have an ongoing matter with us.
Cyber-attacks on individuals who are in the process of accessing legal services are, sadly, increasing. We want to help minimise the risk of you falling victim to fraud while we are acting for you.
We strongly recommend that you take the following three simple steps to ensure your email account is secure
Enable MFA
Multi-Factor Authorisation is a process which, when enabled on your email account, makes it harder for cyber-criminals to access your account. When activated, this will mean that there will be an additional security feature on top of the requirement to enter your username and password.
Additional features can include:-
- SMS (where you receive verification code by text to your mobile)
- Push notifications (that you will have to approve on your mobile before the account can be accessed)
- Biometric verification
Click on the name of your email provider to open a new page with specific guidance on it. If you don’t see your provider listed, it’s worth visiting their help page online to find further guidance.
Check your recent Email activity
In some cases, hackers will already have access to your mailbox. They will wait until your transaction is at the point where you are about to receive or transfer an extensive amount of funds. We always encourage our clients to confirm any bank account details over the phone where possible, and we will do the same. You can find out more here.
Please follow these instructions on how to check recent activity on your account. If you notice any suspicious activity, close them off and change your password as a precautionary measure.
Check your passwords
Have I Been Pwned allows you to search multiple data breaches to see if your email address or phone number has ever been compromised. Many people use similar—or the same—passwords across multiple sites. We recommend that you always use different passwords, especially for any accounts that have a financial aspect, like Paypal or Amazon.
If you need help or guidance with any of the above, please reach out to our IT Department, who will be happy to help: it.servicedesk@slaterheelis.co.uk