They say many of these malicious emails also include attachments or links to a familiar-looking website - attachments and links that instead deliver unwanted software to your computer or lead you to a fake login page in an attempt to steal your credentials.

According to the National Cyber Security Alliance, "Phishing attacks use email or malicious websites (clicking on a link) to collect personal and financial information or infect your machine with malware and viruses."

It has been widely reported that since early 2016 over 93% of all Phishing emails now contain links to ransomware, a particularly aggressive and arbitrary form of malware.

Technical Consultant James Gillies said: “Cybercriminals look to create a sense of urgency to trick unsuspecting victims into downloading malicious files, usually to avoid a negative consequence. Many attackers try to lure you into their schemes by sending emails that look legitimate, but include fake attachments that contain macros or have links to fake login pages that closely resemble the legitimate website.

"Hover over links, check for misspellings, but do not click links or open attachments. Go directly to the website and log in as you would normally; any message, important action, etc. will be there if the email is legitimate. If you know the sender, telephone them to legitimise the message, but if any doubt simply delete the message.”

He says these are the six signs that you need to watch for:

1. Request for private information - Many fake emails purport to be from financial institutions or other services that you actually use. But they are angling to get you to enter information (like logins, passwords, credit card numbers and other identifiers) into a fake website so that a scammer or hacker can eventually steal from you. Ask yourself, does this seem like something an email from this source would normally ask for?

2. Links don’t go where they say they should go - A scammer might type out, but clicking the link might take you somewhere else entirely. Before clicking any link, hover over it to see where it actually takes you. If you have doubts about the legitimacy of an email, do not click a link in that email. Instead, if you feel like you must respond, go to your browser and type in the URL you want to visit.

3. Your name is in the CC or BCC field - If this email was meant for you, why would you be “CCed” rather than emailed directly? Most emails from legit sources don’t work that way.

4. Information is dated, pixelated or otherwise “off” - Does the email use a business’s old logo? Does it look like it’s been copied and pasted, stretched or slightly altered? Scammers may steal logos and letterhead from real institutions, but they often don’t do so professionally.

5. Misspellings, typos and other errors - Spam emails are often riddled with typos. Some think it’s so that they can get around spam filters, which are looking for certain word combinations. Other theories purport that scammers are looking for the naïve and gullible, who might not notice obvious errors. Whatever the reason, many spam emails will be riddled with typos, misspellings and sometimes truly random gibberish.

6. Attachments - Is there an attachment on the message that you were not expecting, or makes no sense in relation to the message. Is the attachment a possible dangerous file type? Are you being asked to enable macros on the document to view the content? Treat all attachments that you are not explicitly expecting with extreme caution.

Last, and most important, if you are not expecting an email with an attachment or link from someone, DO NOT OPEN IT. Your curiosity is the one thing that the attackers need to entice you to fall for their trap.