It’s 2021 but somehow the phishing email scams just keep coming.
You could almost miss the days when ‘Bill Gates’ would get in touch by email to offer you a shipment of diamonds. Modern email scams are much more sophisticated, the designs more convincing, and the payloads more dangerous – than ever.
Our advice remains the same:
- Be wary of any unsolicited email or unknown contact.
- Always look to see if an email is being sent from the correct domain.
- Don’t open any unexpected or mystery attachment, or click links to unrecognised destinations.
- If unsure, verify information with someone by asking via a communication method other than email (eg: by looking up a phone number separately from the email, and calling direct.)
Here’s our pick for some of the sneakiest our team have seen ‘in the wild’:
The Dodgy File Share (Deluxe Edition)
As useful as a crowbar in the arsenal of the burglar, cybercriminals have been using these ever since file sharing and collaboration apps took over the world – this one appeared even more persuasive for it’s nearly spot-on branding imitating a Microsoft 365 file share link.
But the Deluxe edition takes this scam to a whole new level – with just a mistaken click giving cybercriminals an automated account access, and even replying affirmatively to emails between users asking if these are genuine. Nasty.
The TV License
TV licensing is something many people buy once a year, often never receiving physical proof, and don’t think about much – making this a clever way to steal card details without arousing too much suspicion.
These often go the extra mile – making up fake customer numbers and renewal dates – to seem real, which can also identify the email as a scam if cross-referenced in your own records.
The Pandemic Phish
Cybercriminals don’t let little things like ethics get in the way of a good scam – with widespread public fear, and the NHS Covid vaccine roll-out in full swing, everything is an opportunity to hack accounts, steal information, or extort money.
Please be aware the real NHS will contact you via a combination of text message and/or post, and certainly won’t threaten you with the loss of your vaccine appointment if you don’t click a suspicious link.
Divine Intervention
OK, perhaps not a threat to everyone – but it’s easy to imagine this inheritance scam prompting a click from someone more spiritually-minded. Technology aside, a compelling story is sometimes the most persuasive scam of all.

For Cybersecurity expertise and support, please contact our team today.