Phishing Attack on Vodafone Subscribers in New Zealand

As per the news report published in NetGuide on August 24, 2009, Vodafone (New Zealand) has asked its subscribers that they should be vigilant against a phishing scam.

Phishers are very shrewd as they have covered their real address with a 'vodafone.co.nz' address.

The unsolicited e-mail has been sent to all Vodafone webmail users by saying that it is an exclusive message for all the Vodafone subscribers in New Zealand. Phishers have shown their proficiency and skills by developing a well articulated e-mail that easily wins the confidence of subscribers. It further says that maintenance of Vodafone's e-mailing and communication system is underway to deactivate all e-mail accounts against malevolent code and the confirmation of all users' accounts and passwords.

Hence, the e-mail advises all Vodafone subscribers that they should forward their complete account information so that they can update and sanitize their accounts. Subscribers have also been asked to give their username and password.

Moreover, the e-mail contains a formal ending by thanking the dear customer.

By giving warning that failure to comply with the abovementioned instructions will lead to permanent loss of account with Vodafone, Phishers have tried to create panic among subscribers and to make them believe that this e-mail has come from Vodafone.

The news reports further revealed that the e-mail had a lot of grammatical errors and poor punctuations that hinted towards its malicious nature. Vodafone subscribers should take these signs as an alert and avoid clicking on any link embedded in the e-mail.

The Company has taken a precautionary measure on its side by displaying a warning message on the website so that subscribers could be aware of looming danger and delete the e-mail as soon as it enters their inboxes.

Vodafone officials have said that it is another attempt by phishers to gather personal information of Vodafone subscribers so that they could steal their identity and commit associated online crimes.

Vodafone has also suggested an important clue to identify an e-mail whether it is genuine or fake through right click on the address and select the Outlook Properties that give fine details of the sender.

Related article: Phishing With A Redirector Code

» SPAMfighter News - 9/3/2009