New privacy legislation: watch out for phishing!

You have probably received a number of e-mails this month from providers of internet services that you use. This is because, under the conditions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which comes into force in the European Union on 25 May, they are required to submit their new general terms of use.

Be careful: this situation makes it easy for criminals to send false e-mails that appear to come from a bank or other such organisation. There is a serious risk of becoming a victim of attempted phishing.

How can you tell when an e-mail is false? Firstly, look at the address of the sender: it should end with the company’s domain name. Secondly, pay attention to the subject of the e-mail and the credibility of the request.

If in doubt, do not reply to the e-mail and never click on a link or attachment in the e-mail. Use the official telephone number or e-mail address of the alleged sender to obtain confirmation of the authenticity of the e-mail.