The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) have been impersonated in a phishing campaign being sent to the general public with the potential for other police forces to be targeted.

The email received is directed towards summoning the potential victims to court. The phishing campaign is sending emails that are marked with the College of Policing and Internet Watch Foundation logos.

The NPCC have circulated awareness of the campaign across social media and added that if anyone receives the email, it is encouraged that they report the instance to Action Fraud UK using report@phishing.gov.uk.

The NPCC have confirmed that they have not been compromised; these attempts are purely launched from an external position.

The use of a court summons is a social engineering tactic designed to prompt urgency and panic amongst victims.

This in turn increases the likelihood of success since victims are encouraged to act quickly and with less time to process any flaws.

The image above is a great aid when teaching staff on memorable ways to identify potentially malicious emails.

The EMCRC offers Security Awareness Training as an affordable service to businesses and their staff. The training is designed to teach employees about the cyber-related dangers they may face in their role, including how to spot phishing emails such as the one purporting to be from the NPCC.

Employees can be the first barrier against cyber-attacks. If you’re interested in upskilling your staff to better protect your business, get in touch with us today to discuss a package relevant to your business's needs.

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Reporting

Report all Fraud and Cybercrime to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or online. Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk. Report SMS scams by forwarding the original message to 7726 (spells SPAM on the keypad).