Renfrewshire Council

Youth homeless prevention officer, Duncan McEwan narrowly escaped a phishing scam in his personal email after shopping online. It was thanks to the tips he learned through the mandatory cyber security training on iLearn, that he was able to spot the signs of a phishing email and avoid being scammed.

Duncan wrote:

"It started when I got an email asking me to reschedule a "missed delivery".

"I am waiting for two deliveries from the company that this claimed to be, and this very official looking email was identical to emails they have sent me in the past.

"Thanks to your advice, I noticed that the sender's email address was strange. Continuing to follow your guidance, I went on to the company's official website and got in touch with customer services who confirmed my suspicions. This was a phishing email.

"The incident reminded me just how easy it is to be scammed and I am very grateful to have completed my cyber security training at work and learned how to protect myself.

"I hope by sharing my story it will encourage others to complete their training and always be alert to what can be very convincing scams.

Thank you for all your guidance."

Duncan McEwan, youth homeless prevention officer

Thanks to Duncan for sharing his experience and letting us tell his story.

Remember, that cyber criminals are always finding new ways to trick people and their phishing emails can look very close to the real thing.

Make sure you are prepared to spot a phishing scam like Duncan was by completing your mandatory cyber security training on iLearn today.

Published on Tuesday 6 February 2024