During financial crises, it’s crucial to protect yourself from related scams. Consider these tips:

• Take your time. Some scams adopt official company logos and colours to fool victims. As such, review any messages and offers carefully, even if they first appear genuine. Look out for spelling and grammatical errors, sloppy layouts or informal greetings; these are all tell-tale signs of a scam.

• Conduct due diligence. Never send money to anyone you don’t know or aren’t entirely sure of. Instead, check the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) website for a list of authorised companies. Remember, if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is..

• Bolster your protection. Clicking on fraudulent links in messages could release malware onto your device. Think before you click to avoid downloading files and attachments from suspicious sources. Additionally, make sure your antivirus software is up to date and run a scan before opening suspicious links.

• Check that websites are genuine. For additional protection, always check that weblinks are secure—look for “https” and a padlock symbol in the domain bar.

Moreover, you can always hang up a phone call or ignore an email, then contact the organisation that supposedly got in touch with you. For instance, if you suspect a bank employee calling you is a fraud, hang up and call the bank using the phone number listed on their official website to enquire about the situation’s legitimacy.

Should you fall victim to a scam, it’s vital to act swiftly; contact your bank or financial provider without delay. Additionally, notify relevant authorities, including Action Fraud, the police, the FCA and Ofgem.

If you are looking to protect your charity from cyber risks, take a look at our Cyber Risk Fundamentals guide.

Cyber security fundamentals for charities