Cybersecurity focus: How to stay ahead of email scammers

Any kind of online payment has the potential to be subjected to fraud or scams.

Certified financial planner Paul Roelofse warns that one of the latest methods being used to con people out of their money involves false invoices – which are accessed via email and then replicated.

"What they've done is they've taken that invoice and they've actually manipulated the banking details, which you don't pay too much attention to... then the money goes straight off into another account."

The scam is sometimes even more sophisticated, involving hacking into the inbox settings to trigger notifications for the scammers, to alert them when invoices have been sent by suppliers.

Roelofse said this not only necessitates double checks on what is coming through on email, but extra layers of security, like changing your passwords frequently and setting up two-factor authentication for whoever tries to log in.

"We just have to be that much more diligent to keep up with it."

To listen to certified financial planner Paul Roelofse speaking to 702's John Perlman, click on the audio below: