Vacation is a time to relax, but don’t let your digital guard down

13 July 2022

Vacation periods are usually accompanied by a rise in Fraud or Phishing attempts, what can you or your colleagues do to stay vigilant?

As people begin to take their summer vacations, gearing up for some well-earned rest and relaxation, we expect to see a rise in the number of fraud or phishing attempts.

This is only natural. People are looking forward to holidays, the offices are perhaps a bit less busy and people let their guard down. Similarly, emails might be forwarded to colleagues who are not fully aware of everything going on and therefore less likely to spot an unusual request or email.

This combination offers the perfect opportunity for those with nefarious intentions to slip under the radar and, as with any vacation period, taking an opportunity to rest does not mean you should stop using caution.

What are some of the steps that you or your colleagues can take to stay vigilant, even when you’re relaxing?

• Always check emails for spelling or grammatical mistakes
• Always use a trusted source to verify phone numbers, email or business addresses
• Always double check bank account numbers or payment details if you are in any doubt
• If you are suspicious, try to confirm the sender’s number from another source and give them a call
• If the email is unexpected, use extra caution

Many companies, including Zacco, use Verified Mark Certificates as these demonstrate that the email has come from a secure source and has been verified. Similarly, genuine emails will only ever come from our Zacco.com domain. Both of these are an effective way to confirm the true sender of an email, so if you ever receive an email claiming to be from Zacco without this mark or not from this domain, we encourage you to contact our CISO at CISO@Zacco.com.
Remember, it is always better to double check than to be left to pick up the pieces.

We hope you have a lovely vacation, just remember to stay cautious.