Property lawyers can now find practical information on vishing, smishing and phishing in the Conveyancing Association’s freshly revised Cyberfraud and Fraud Protocol.
The revised Protocol, which offers practical information on how criminals operate and how not to fall victim, also now covers malware, spear phishing, cheque fraud, card payment fraud and CEO/whaling fraud (where the email of a senior manager or partner is hacked or spoofed). For the uninitiated, all these activities are defined in the Protocol.
Firms which adopt and adhere to the Protocol can apply to be certified ‘Cyber Safe’ by the Conveyancing Association, receiving a logo for their website and literature.
Beth Rudolf, director of delivery at the Conveyancing Association, said: ‘The issue of fraudulent activity around property sales has been much in the headlines again recently, with the news that one individual lost close to £600,000 after being duped by a fraudster purporting to be a solicitor via email communications with him.
‘Putting in place a high level of anti-fraud measures, being certified under Cyber Essentials and achieving the Cyber Safe standards shows that the conveyancing firm not only takes the issue incredibly seriously but demonstrates to customers they have plans in place to protect them, their data and their money.’
