Phishing scams against agencies increasing

Commenting on the issue, IPA Legal & Public Affairs Director Richard Lindsay: “Phishing scams are an increasing threat to businesses and scammers seem to be targeting the advertising sector. We have been made aware of instances of IPA member-agencies suffering phishing attacks and the IPA itself fell victim to a scam earlier this summer. It is imperative that we are all aware and mindful of the flags and become vigilant. Phishing attacks can cause serious financial difficulties for businesses, present a serious public relations problem and can cause disputes between agencies and clients. For example, clients may be persuaded by a scam email purporting to be from its agency, to pay money into a false account. These attacks can also present a GDPR risk to victim businesses.“

The IPA’s IT department has put together some brief suggestions on how to prevent phishing, but we would urge all of our members to seek professional advice.