What is phishing?

'Phishing’ on the internet may not involve a boat, a pole or the sea. But like the deep blue sea, the vast world of the web is a place where information, like fish, flows freely, and transactions can occur as quickly as a dolphin speeding underwater - and scammers have found ways to obtain information illegally. One tactic is through phishing.

While scams and frauds are common on the internet, there are ways to spot them early, which we talk about in our ‘How to spot a credit card scam’ article. However, it’s also crucial to understand the types of scams as well. 

We’ll go through what phishing is, the common techniques used and how you could prevent phishing by spotting it early.

The term ‘phishing’ is a fraudulent practice, which involves scammers sending emails or other messages, pretending to be someone from a reputable company. While posing as said person, they’ll purposely try to convince a victim to share their personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers. 

There are many tactics they may try to use, but here are some of the main tactics to look out for:

Be sceptical: Be cautious if you receive an email requesting sensitive information.

Verify communication: Check the legitimacy of emails or messages by contacting the organisation directly. Visit their official website rather than the email when looking for contact information.

Don’t click the links: If the suspected email asks you to click a link or an attachment, be careful not to click them as they may contain viruses.

If you think you’ve been scammed or are worried someone has taken your credit card details illegally, it’s important to report it as soon as possible. To report a potential scam you can:

You should contact your credit card provider straight away, especially if you believe you have been scammed.

Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. Their purpose is to collect information about scammers to send to the police.

Report fraud online

Call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040

Content correct at time of writing 27/02/23. 

John Lewis Money is not responsible for content contained on external websites. This article is for promotional or information purposes only. You must not rely on it as advice. Please contact a financial adviser if you need advice before you buy a financial product or service.

John Lewis plc is a credit broker and not a lender, introducing the Partnership Credit Card under exclusive arrangements with the lender NewDay Ltd.
John Lewis Money is a trading name of John Lewis plc, registered in England with company number 233462, registered office: 1 Drummond Gate, Pimlico, London SW1V 2QQ. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 724309). Credit is provided by NewDay Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales with registered number 7297722, registered office: 7 Handyside Street, London, N1C 4DA. NewDay Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority with number 690292 and is also authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Services Regulations 2017 (Ref no: 555318) for the provision of payment services.