SBN Customers Cautioned of Phishing Scam

Recently, Standard Bank of Namibia (SBN, Namibia) cautioned the public of a phishing mail that appears to be coming from the bank.

The phishing e-mail has the subject line 'Internet Banking Update From Standard Bank'. The mail message says that following the complaints received from the customers, the bank has decided to enhance the security of its online banking customers.

So for this, the customers are suggested to update their online bank accounts by giving their private and financial details. Further, the mail asks the customers to respond within two days or else their netbanking facility would be blocked.

Supporting the fact that the mail is just a method of defrauding customers of their money, Manager Forensic Services at Standard Bank of Namibia, Mr. Roman Bock stated that the mail is bogus. He also informed that the bank will never ask its customers for such data through mail, as per the news published by republikein.com.na on May 26, 2010.

Also, the security experts stated that phishing mails claiming to be coming from reputed banks have increased. As a result, some of the banks have issued advices for the general public.

Security experts opined that users should never reply to the mails that ask for personal details. They asked customers to be very careful of e-mails that ask for their password or account information or embed a related link. Users should understand that no financial institution or bank sends such mails.

In addition, experts suggested that users should always remain calm. Since phishing mails generally create a sense of panic, users should not get anxious. Whenever a user receives such kind of mails, he should immediately inform the bank by directly visiting their website. Further, the users are also advised not to respond to such mails under any circumstances.

Finally, since phishing mails are being sent to the public in bulk and, as a result, they do not have any addressee name. Security experts stated that generally phishing mail starts with salutation like "Dear valued customer", which itself is a big indication to the fraudulent nature of the mail.

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» SPAMfighter News - 6/4/2010