The PSNI's Cyber Crime Centre is urging local businesses, particularly those in the legal sector, to be vigilant against a rise in phishing scams.

The warning follows reports of several companies being targeted, with five businesses alone reporting attacks to Action Fraud in recent days.

According to Detective Constable Sam Kinkaid, a common method involves a phishing email from a compromised contact, directing employees to a fake "Secure Portal" to view a shared document.

The email leads to a fraudulent Microsoft Sign In page, designed to steal the user's username and password. Detective Constable Kinkaid explained that such attacks can lead to the installation of malware or the harvesting of email credentials to gain unauthorised access. Once inside an email account, scammers may monitor content, access sensitive information, or divert payments.

He advised employees to be cautious and to always check the website URL before entering credentials. A genuine Microsoft address will be displayed in the URL.

The PSNI, working with the Northern Ireland Cyber Security Centre, is offering free cyber awareness sessions to help protect organisations.

The Cyber Crime Centre advises businesses to have a reporting system in place for staff who may have been tricked into clicking a suspect link.

Organisations that have been compromised can report the incident to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. Further advice on safeguarding a business can be found on the National Cyber Security website at www.ncsc.gov.uk.