If Virgin Media is your chosen supplier for broadband and TV, you need to be on red alert. The popular telecoms and telly firm has just issued some important advice in a bid to keep its millions of users safe from scam emails.
It appears that cyber crooks are using Vrigin’s popularity to try and cash in and falling for these attacks could put your details - such as passwords and bank details - right into the hands of hackers.
If you get any digital correspondence from Virgin in the coming weeks it’s worth making sure it's real before replying or clicking on embedded links.
There are plenty of telltale signs that all might not be what it seems and there are some pretty easy ways to check you’re part of an elaborate scam.
“It may look like a real email from Virgin Media or another business you use, but if you hover over or right-click the sender’s name, you’ll be able to see the email address it has actually been sent from,” Virgin explained in its latest warning.
“The sender’s name may look legitimate, but often the email address will contain a small spelling error or could simply be a random assortment of numbers and letters.”
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Another thing to watch out for is spelling mistakes or terrible grammar as scammers often operate outside of the UK - this often means they make mistakes with the English language.
“It’s no longer a given that fraudulent emails will be riddled with errors, but it’s still surprisingly common in phishing emails," Virgin added. "Other things to look out for: is the email consistent in how it looks? Is there a mix of US and UK English? Does it use different font styles or even random sizes? These are all things that may signal it’s not genuine.”
Next up, check that the font, logo and identity match that of Virgin’s official emails.
Rogue messages often feature logos that are pixelated or fonts that don’t look quite right.
Another thing to remember is that Virgin will never ask you to click on a link and enter data such as user names and passwords.
“Always remember, we’ll never (ever) ask you for sensitive information. So if you get an email asking for such details, or requesting you click on a link to supply them, it’s a red flag," Virgin explained. "Do not provide any personal information or click on any link in an email you’re unsure about. Such links may contain viruses that can infect your computer or even install ransomware.”
Finally, any emails that contain a sense of urgency should be an immediate red flag.
Scammers often use this tactic to worry people and trick them into acting without thinking. For example, saying your account is about to be closed, or that there is a payment issue on your account. Do not click the link. Instead, to check the status of your account, visit virginmedia.com/myvirginmedia.