Phishing E-Mail Targeting Westpac Bank Clients

According to Australia situated Westpac Bank, fake e-mails are doing the rounds while posing as messages from the financial institution as well as displaying a malevolent web-link, reported Techworld.com.au on April 4, 2011.

Exhibiting one header such as "Important Verification required," the fraudulent electronic mail reportedly encourages the recipient for following a given web-link, warned Westpac on its Internet site.

Further, the scam message asks accountholders to complete an online survey else retrieve the details of their accounts. Meanwhile, evidences have also emerged that bogus SMS messages and phone calls too are taking shape for obtaining the account details of customers. Techworld.com.au reported this.

Nevertheless, Westpac has posted on its website that it won't ever request its clients for correcting, verifying or updating their private information for Internet banking. Besides, according to the bank, there are three easy methods for detecting a scam: incase the fake electronic mail directs the recipient for following a web-link alternatively contacting at a given number; prompts the recipient for providing his account details, or plentiful punctuation and grammatical errors mark the e-mail.

However, incase anybody gets this type of phony e-mail, he must avoid replying to it unless he has confirmed that the request is genuine via cross-checking the details from the Westpac site.

Moreover, during one likewise incident, England's Trading Standards has cautioned residents of Widnes and Runcorn (UK) repeatedly of scam e-mails, which pose as messages from the HSBC Bank informing recipients that their Internet account utilities have been restricted as also that they must fill out a form attached to the e-mails. The firm further cautions that the web-links have chances of projecting inflated alerts that their computers are infected with viruses. Runcornandwidnesweeklynews.co.uk published this in news on March 31, 2011.

Meanwhile, the Westpac Bank Internet site posted a statement that customers should erase the phony electronic mail instantly if anyone has got it in his inbox. Specifically, the posting states that if anybody has already clicked the web-link inside the dubious e-mail then he should turn on his anti-virus software and scrutinize his system for potential trojans or viruses. Techworld.com.au reported this.

Related article: Phishing With A Redirector Code

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