Some fraudsters try to steal personal information (like bank card details or passwords) by pretending to be a legitimate website or posing as a trustworthy sender in an email or text (SMS) message. This is known as phishing (or smishing if sent via SMS).

For example, a fraudulent email or text could be sent in the guise of a survey, competition or social media post. The aim is to trick you into visiting or submitting your details to an unsecure site.

Anyone can be targeted (not just Argos customers) and these fraudulent emails or texts often request personal information or ask you to confirm information.

It might be a scam when…

• The message asks for personal information like your bank or payment details, username or password.
• The sender’s email address looks suspicious.
• There’s a sense of urgency, like a threat that your account will be closed unless you take immediate action.
• The message has a generic greeting such as ‘Dear customer.'
• You weren’t expecting it.

If you’re worried, don’t click on any links, open any attachments or forward to anyone else.

You can always get information directly from the company's legitimate website rather than a link in an email.

If you're concerned about any unexpected or suspicious Argos communications, please get in touch

Be wary of text (SMS) messages relating to competitions or voucher giveaways. Check official sites or contact the company directly using the contact details from the website. Report anything you don't think is authentic.

Argos will never contact you via SMS about credit refunds or credit limit increases.

All legitimate Argos promotions will be listed here

Anyone can be targeted (not just Argos customers) and fraudulent texts often request personal information or ask you to confirm information.

If you're concerned about any unexpected or suspicious Argos communications, please get in touch

Be wary of any social media posts relating to competitions or voucher giveaways. Check official sites or contact the company directly using the contact details from the website. Report anything you don't think is authentic.

All legitimate Argos promotions will be listed here

Anyone can be targeted (not just Argos customers) and fraudsters often request personal information or ask you to confirm information.

If you're concerned about any unexpected or suspicious Argos communications, please get in touch

If you're concerned about any unexpected or suspicious Argos communications, please get in touch.

Here’s some advice on creating a strong password:

• Make it long – the longer the password the more secure it is.
• Consider basing your password on a sentence or phrase.
• Use a mix of numbers and special characters.
• Don’t use the same password for all your online accounts – you could end up having all your accounts hacked if a website is breached.
• Don’t use people’s names – passwords like this are easily cracked using common hacking tools.
• Try to avoid words that can be guessed after a little research on social media.
• Use a secure password manager to generate and store your passwords.

Your Argos account password will need to be at least: 6 characters, 2 letters and 1 number.

For more on passwords visit: https://www.cyberaware.gov.uk/passwords

For more on password managers: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/blog-post/what-does-ncsc-think-password-managers

It's important to have antivirus software installed to help protect yourself from online attacks. Although you can’t prevent every cyber attack with antivirus software, it can prevent hackers from getting into your computer or mobile device.

Not every intrusion into a computer is meant to cause damage or steal valuable information, that doesn’t mean the attack isn’t dangerous. All intrusions into a computer exploit what is known as a vulnerability, or a weakness in the computer’s operating system or other software.

Here are a few tips to help you stop spyware infecting your device:

• Only download and install programs from websites you trust
• Only buy trusted and well-known, subscription-based programs
• Read security information, privacy statements and licence agreements when you install software
• Don’t click 'OK' or 'I Agree' on pop-up windows, unless you know what you’re signing up for
• Make sure you keep your device’s software up to date. Software and app updates contain vital security updates that help protect your devices from cyber criminals.

Try these…

https://www.getsafeonline.org/

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

https://ico.org.uk/

https://www.cyberaware.gov.uk/