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Don't let your loyalty communications become a phishing risk [Bizcommunity (South Africa)](Bizcommunity (South Africa) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The number of phishing emails continues to rise globally and it's no longer primarily financial services and utility brands that are being used to target unsuspecting consumers... Simon Johnston Although the spoofing of loyalty communications is not new, the fact that this is mentioned in the latest Internet Security Threat Report from Symantec reinforces the requirement to safeguard all digital communications - even those that don't seem a likely target for phishing scams. Johnston believes that loyalty programs with points that can be exchanged for cash and those that do not follow any anti-phishing communication guidelines are at highest risk of becoming targets. "Loyalty programs within banks are high risk based on several factors," says Johnston, "A stolen member ID for example, can access points that operate as cash. Customers may also be less suspicious and not apply the appropriate level of caution when personal information is requested by a trusted loyalty brand." Johnston recommends that all businesses with loyalty programs conduct a gap analysis on their member communications to assess the risk of the brand being used in a phishing scam that targets their members. "The best defense is member education," says Johnston. "Make your members aware of what will and will not be included in your communication, as well as how to spot a fraudulent email." Johnston cites the following ways to protect a brand from phishing scams: - Digitally sign all outbound email, including your marketing campaigns - Always personalise your emails to show the recipient you know them - Consider using a sender authentication device which fraudsters cannot replicate - Discuss the implementation of technologies such as DKIM, DMARC and SPF with your IT department or ESPeBucks gets member education right! Leading South African loyalty brand, eBucks, is well aware of the risk of phishing attacks on its members. "Fortunately eBucks has been educating its members for many years by implementing many tools and tactics, some of which were recommended by Striata to combat phishing," says Johnston. Monique Smith, Executive for FirstRand Group Partnerships at eBucks, confirms its ongoing commitment to educating its members. "In addition to constantly reminding our members that we will never send an email requesting personal security details, there are a number of additional points that we stress in our communications: 1. Secure sites will publish a Web certificate that shows as a padlock next to the address bar in your browser. This proves that you are entering a secure site. Check the URL. If the URL does not conform to what you would expect, i.e. www.bank.co.za, do not continue. The correct URL, coupled with the presence of the padlock is an indication that you are entering the legitimate site. There are also websites where you can verify the owner of a URL. 2. To avoid the risk of downloading spyware or malware, the internet security settings can be changed to always ask for confirmation before downloading anything to your computer. 3. Use common sense: if the email content seems too good to be true, then it probably is. Be cautious when opening unknown attachments or downloading any files, regardless of who sent them. Don't email personal, financial or password information, EVER." "To avoid falling victim to a phishing scam, loyalty programs need to improve their email design, review their security protocols and continually educate members in order to provide the best customer loyalty experience, without the phishing risk," concludes Johnston.ABOUT STRIATAStriata unlocks the power of email and mobile messaging Our electronic delivery solutions dramatically increase customer adoption of paperless bills, statements, policies, marketing and other high volume system-generated documents. The world's largest financial services, utility, insurance, retail and telecommunications companies achieve unrivalled results by replacing print and mail with Striata's interactive electronic documents and transactional messages. Striata's enterprise platform, strategy and support services: - drive significant paper suppression - deliver ongoing cost savings - accelerate payments - enhance the customer experience - enable regulatory compliance Our comprehensive solutions expand the digital dialogue through personalized customer lifecycle messaging, retail receipts, notifications and alerts. A global paperless communications specialist with over a decade of experience, Striata has operations in New York, London, Johannesburg, Hong Kong, Sydney and partners in North and Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific.Media Contact: Striata Marketing Email: [email protected] Website: www.striata.com All rights reserved. (c) 2014 Bizcommunity.com Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |