Phishing e-mails are those sent to your e-mail address by criminals who want to steal your personal information. These authentic-looking messages appear to come from banks, other financial institutions and legitimate businesses, but are designed to lure recipients into divulging personal data such as bank account numbers and passwords when you attempt to logon. Often, the phishing email will use tricks to get you to lower your guard, for example, by falsely claiming that you need to provide your personal data for security upgrades, false charges, late payments or phoney investigations.Links within these fraudulent e-mails may also take you to fake or ‘ghost’ websites, which are designed to fool consumers. They may look like an authentic website, with logos and a homepage, but it is, in fact, another way criminals try to steal your personal information.
Tips:
- Never provide personal details including customer ID or passwords, in response to any e-mail. A bank will never ask you for your private password and this important information should never be shared with anyone.
- Never click on a link or attachment in an e-mail which purportedly sends you to a bank’s website. Only access your bank’s Internet banking logon page by typing the address into your browser.
- Be wary of any e-mail from someone you do not know or trust – delete without opening any e-mails that you think are suspicious.
- Be wary about clicking on links in any e-mail that you receive that is not from a person or organisation you know. Some e-mails sent by criminals ask the recipient to click on a link for more information. If you click on the link, you may be installing a file or be taken to a website that tries to download malicious software such as a keylogger that attempts to capture your user IDs and passwords.
- Always check your statements for any transactions that look suspicious. If you see any transactions that you did not undertake, immediately report this to your bank.
- Most phishing e-mails do not address you by your proper name because they are sent out to thousands of recipients. They sometimes contain typing errors and grammatical mistakes, even if they include the banks’ registered logos.
- Install software that will filter spam e-mail or use an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that will filter spam prior to delivery at your Inbox. Spam filters are often included in anti-virus software.
- Avoid using Internet cafes, or other public computer terminals, to complete Internet banking. In some places, criminals have loaded software that records your keystrokes.
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The bank will need to do an investigation if there is any suspicion that a fraud has been committed. If the investigation proves you are an innocent victim, have not contributed to the loss, and followed the banks terms and conditions, the bank will usually refund the loss.
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