As reported by Infosecurity, just 5% of Brits are able to recognize all scam emails and texts, a study from Computer Disposals Limited has found. Scam emails purporting to be from Facebook were shown to be most likely to trick people. Additionally, participants found it harder to spot scams via SMS messages compared to emails.
For the study, Computer Disposals created a quiz comprised of genuine recreated messages and emails from organizations including the UK government, Amazon, Disney Plus and Netflix alongside scam texts and emails that included the exact tactics being used by hackers to gain access to users’ accounts and personal details. They then asked 1000 individuals to try and distinguish between those that were genuine or fake. The respondents were observed to be naturally suspicious of all communications, however, with just 44% able to identify the genuine messages and emails.
Long gone are the days of seeing generic large-scale phishing emails entering our inboxes, as we have become accustomed to the obvious fakes and even see the warning signs from a distance. By nature, some people are more spontaneous than others and therefore more likely to act on impulse without giving it much thought, but such quick to click decision-making behavior in emails can be driven by the subconscious, which is now widely targeted by a newer age of cybercriminals.
These criminals are able to manipulate people using psychological influence to catch out even those who class themselves as cyber-savvy. Powers of persuasion can be extremely powerful in a well-crafted email, and can flip slow thinkers into fast thinkers, making them act in ways they would usually not. Such quick decisions can have extremely damaging effects on people and companies. Technology can go so far but training is fundamental in combatting phishing emails. Quizzes work well but as more people are affected, more people learn to be savvier and protect their accounts.