New Phishing Attacks Target Bank Customers

SonicWall, an online security firm, said that it has been closely following e-mails that try to attract users to fake bank sites on the pretext of verifying personal and banking details as a part of some merger.

These fraudulent e-mails are known as phishing mails and they contain computer viruses, malicious content and malware to purloin personal information of online users for financial gains.

One example of such fake e-mails is acquisition of Washington Mutual by Chase. People affected by this acquisition are receiving e-mails that direct them to click on link for identity verification so that Chase activates new security features for both old and new online banking customers.

The security firm (SonicWall) has also warned users against e-mails containing titles like "Mail Alert! Chase Upgrade its XP installed problems" and "Free Download from Chase for Upgrade". Hence, with the acquisition of Washington Mutual, over 40 Million customers of Chase bank are at risk of falling victim to the phishing scam.

Andrew Klein, Product Manager, SonicWall, said that the links given in the e-mail direct users to a fraudulent Website of Chase bank and ask for log-in and other personal information, as reported by cnetnews on October 2, 2008. Klein further adds that scammers are harvesting the information for selling it to cyber criminals who can use it to phish off victims' accounts and committing ID fraud.

Apart from this, scammers and phishers exploit current affairs to attract visitors on malware loaded Websites or those that ask for information. Moreover, cyber criminals closely follow the search trends on Google to identify the popular trends and integrate them on to their sites so that victims could be attracted to their sites. But this phishing technique is particularly dangerous, says the company.

Meanwhile, people in the UK have also fallen victim to phishing scams exploiting growing concerns on the global economy. Similarly, APACS, the UK Payment Association, has revealed that online banking fraud in the country surged 185% in the first six months of 2008, causing loss of around £21.4 Million.

Related article: New Zealand Releases Code To Reduce Spam

» SPAMfighter News - 10/14/2008