Phishing E-mails Sent to ANZ Bank Clients

Security researchers have cautioned that cyber-criminals are attempting at extracting Internet-banking credentials of accountholders with Australia and New Zealand Banking (ANZ) institution, published softpedia.com dated November 21, 2012.

Using a subject line "ANZ Customer Notice," the crooks craft an e-mail that begins by asking the recipient against answering the current e-mail from Customer Service. It then announces the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group's decision to give awards to accountholders who've been most loyal, during the coming vacation. And because there's been very good cooperation between the bank and its customers, the bank has chosen the recipient's account to be rewarded an AUD300 worth prize. Therefore, he may click a web-link given herewith whereto provide the details necessary for getting the prize. If the personal information is confirmed, then a credit of AUD300 will be made to his ANZ.com A/C, the e-mail concludes.

But, the website onto which the web-link takes, actually, has no connection whatsoever with ANZ. Rather it is one cunning phishing site, a creation of the online scammers.

Unfortunately, Internauts believing the e-mail followed with clicking the web-link are sure to be led onto one bogus site, which only mimics the actual ANZ site. From here, after logging in, they'll be led onto another bogus site, which tells them for entering their financial (card numbers) and other personal information. The reason cited for entering the info is it'll enable credit the Australian Dollar 300 to the user's A/C. Precisely, once the user enters each and every requested detail, he'll be told the reward will soon get deposited into his account. Subsequently, he'll most likely get automatically diverted onto ANZ's original site while little realizing the scam before it's too late.

Alas, every bit of the data entered into the fake website is chanced to land up with the scammers who may use them for compromising actual ANZ accounts, commit ID and card theft, analysts comment after performing a security investigation of the scam.

Conclusively, in a somewhat similar phishing e-mail scam targeting ANZ Bank clients, during September 2012, security researchers spotted phishing e-mails that were titled "Subject: ANZ account deactivated."

Related article: Phishing Attacks, Growing in Sophistication

» SPAMfighter News - 11/30/2012