Safer Internet Day 2021

Today marks Safer Internet Day 2021 and LQ BID has teamed up with LQ-based tech company, Olenick, to provide helpful tips on how you and your family can stay safe when using the internet, particularly as the demand for using online resources continues. 

Located on Linenhall Street, Olenick are recognised as global leaders in software quality engineering, addressing key challenges within IT projects. The team in Belfast understand today’s issues with cyber security and the increase in online phishing. To help you improve how to use the internet safely going forward, Olenick has provided their five top tips on how to avoid being phished and what to look out for:

Five Tips to Avoid being Phished 

1.Check the sender’s email address, not just the name. Scammers can often create their own display name, which may be unrelated to the address. If in doubt, contact the purported sender via a different channel. (E.g. Open your browser and type in the URL of your bank’s website.)

2. Be wary of intense or aggressive subject lines. Phishers want you to act quickly, without thinking. Evoking a sense of panic, urgency, or curiosity is a commonly used tactic. (E.g. “Your credit card will be suspended without immediate action.”)

3.Be cautious of emails that do not address you personally. Phishing messages are often sent to many people at once, therefore they usually lack personal greetings. (E.g. “Dear customer/employee/patient…”)

4. Read emails carefully. Many phishing attacks originate in non-English speaking countries and often contain grammatical and spelling errors. If an email from a supposedly reputable company has these mistakes, it is probably a scam.

5. Check link destination.  Make sure you hover over all links before clicking them. Pop-up bubbles will show the link’s true destination. (On a mobile device, hold down on the link and a pop-up will appear containing the URL.) If it’s not the website you expected, it’s probably a scam.

*As a general rule, don’t give out sensitive or personal information based on an email request. 

Find out more about Olenick here:  https://www.olenick.com/