Hoax E-Mail Claims to be from TD Canada

TD Canada Trust has issued a warning to its customers to watch out for fake e-mails circulating en-masse and claiming to be from the bank.

Asking recipients to fill in an 'Easy Web form', the phishing e-mail describes the procedure as 'obligatory'. The e-mail shows a link to reach an address.

A representative from TD's Easy Web Internet Banking service described the e-mail as part of some phishing scam and said the company has not sent it. Like all phishing e-mails, this one too pretends to represent a reputed company but actually tries to capture users' personal and financial details.

Spokesperson Christa Poole said that there is no bank that would ask for personal information over e-mail. CBC News published Poole's statement on July 31, 2007.

According to Poole, there was some good news following the recent publicity on the topic of phishing as less and less number of people was succumbing to such scams. Poole said that there was already an alert notice on the bank's website cautioning people of phishing fraud. It advises account holders to avoid links in the fraudulent e-mails and to be aware of e-mails that warn about security risks, threaten legal procedures or offer money.

TD Canada noted that the hoax e-mail does not target the bank's customers alone. It has started an investigation and with the help of the authorities, the bank is trying to shut down the scam.

A similar case of e-mail scam that extracts account information is currently attacking the PayPal customers. PayPal is a system of online payment service under the ownership of eBay. The e-mails are asking recipients to click a link and enter their financial information like bank account number and passwords.

According to Michael Barrett, chief information security officer of PayPal, phishing e-mails usually target vulnerable surfers who may not know sufficiently how to use the Internet. Manchester Evening News reported this on July 30, 2007.

Terry Hobart, a computer specialist, called on users to ignore e-mails offering 'get-rich-quick' schemes and also to avoid e-mails that ask for personal information. CBC News reported this on July 31, 2007.

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» SPAMfighter News - 8/9/2007