Inboxes of Absa Customers Flooded with Phishing E-mails

Even though the customers of leading banks are susceptible to phishing attacks, and have also been victimized by such attacks, innumerous phishing e-mails have been aimed at the clients of Absa Bank in the last six months, as reported by persfin.co.zapersfin.co.za on May 1, 2010.

Notably, cyber criminals launch phishing attacks to procure confidential customer information, with the aim of illegally gaining access to his/her financial or bank accounts. The most common mode of instigating phishing attacks is e-mail.

For example, according to a phishing e-mail, the account holders of Absa Bank are entitled to get a refund on bank charges incurred by them in 2009. If the user wants to be eligible to avail the benefit, he should type in his banking details, following a Web link provided in the e-mail.

Yet another hoax or phishing e-mail says that the Bank is upgrading its online security system in the wake of an attempted infringement of online log-on information of a user. The e-mail also claims that the Bank, at regular intervals, evaluates the online banking accounts of some particular customers, and if it thinks that the user is vulnerable to illegal use, it imposes access restrictions on his account on a temporary basis. The user is then urged to click on the provided link for the validation of his identity and to avoid the imposed restrictions on his Internet Banking.

According to Christo Vrey, Managing Executive for Absa Digital Channels, if a user is requested in such a manner via an e-mail, he must understand that it's no more than a phishing attempt to induce him to reveal his personal banking details. If the user clicks on the embedded link, he would be redirected to a fake website wherein he may be convinced to provide his account number, PIN, password and also the money, as per the statement published by Personal Finance on May 1, 2010.

Absa lists some important tips for safe Internet Banking on its official website. First, to start with the Internet Banking, the rule is to manually type the Web address into the browser. Then, the access information like account number, password, PIN, user number, etc. must be kept secured. Thirdly, users must also ensure a lock icon at top or bottom of the Internet browser window.

Related article: Infection in Chinese Security Website

» SPAMfighter News - 5/12/2010