Kent Trading Standards are warning people after a fake email was received by a Kent resident from Littlewoods saying they were entitled to a refund to their account due to wrong charges made by the company.

The email tells the consumer to click on a ‘Logon’ icon to correct errors so that a refund can be sent.

Littlewoods have confirmed that emails such as this which claim that your account has been suspended or that an online account has expired are very unlikely to have been sent by them and are designed to encourage consumers to click on the links to log into their account so that personal information can be obtained fraudulently.

The emails are for phishing and use genuine company logos and addresses to look and feel like they have come from the company. The links in these emails usually direct people to a fake login page, which is usually identical to the real login page. If you log in, your account details are stolen and may be used to access your account and commit fraud.

Kent Trading Standards say they strongly recommend that if you receive any suspicious emails which require you to provide log in details, passwords or personal details such as bank details that you ignore them and do not click on any of the links provided as any personal information gained could later be used to commit identity theft or other crimes.

If you think you have entered, or have entered your account details into a phishing website, you should contact the genuine company to ensure that there is no unauthorised activity on your account.

If you have entered any personal information such as your bank or building society details, you should contact your bank/building society immediately to ensure that no unauthorised payments are taken.

The best way of not becoming a victim of phishing is to always access websites directly to login to your account or to make purchases. Never follow the links in an email.

To report any incidents or concerns you have concerning phishing emails or identity theft please contact Consumer Direct on 0808 156 2256 or via www.consumerdirect.gov.uk [4].

© Hawkinge Gazette and Channel Coast News 2012