Cyber security | 'Workers could be sacked for clicking scam emails' says boss who tests his own staff with fake phishing scams

Phishing scams and bogus emails have been around for decades.

Not one of us hasn’t received a message from the prince of some far flung country who needs help transferring millions of dollars. And we’ve all likely been called or emailed by ‘HMRC’ about some taxes we owe, being threatened with arrest if we don’t comply.

And while these scams are easy to spot for the vast majority of us, con artists are becoming increasingly smart, and their methods are becoming incredibly deceptive.

Phishing scams now regularly carry all the hallmarks of a legitimate email - the name of a friend or colleague, perhaps, or genuine links and contact details to a business that, when Googled, add extra weight to the idea that the email is genuine.