Phishing Scam Targets CyTA Customers to Access Private Codes

According to CYPRUS Telecommunications, it came to know that it has been hit with an e-mail scam when a number of its consumers reported of receiving phishing e-mail in their mailboxes.

The fraudulent e-mail asks recipients to answer with their e-mail account usernames, passwords and access codes. It also attempts to impersonate CyTA Communications by ending in the name of 'CYTANET Web Media.'

Additionally, the fraudsters, perhaps in the grip of performance anxiety, provided not just one, but a list of three reasons why the e-mail was untimely. These relate to maintenance of recipients' account and non-chargeable account upgradation, this way exploiting the aspiration of receiving better facilities and improved performance.

Security experts said that the fraudsters' third reason showed their audacity as they pretended to make an offer from the company to boost the security of the consumers' account against phishing scams.

In any case, the authorities of the company said that the e-mail messages were crafted to fool Cytanet customers into divulging access codes of their accounts so that the scammers could steal their identity.

Meanwhile, CyTA elucidated that there is no connection between it and the person sending the scam message, and asked customers to ignore such e-mails. The company also stated that its customers should not respond to the fake e-mail by giving out their secret account codes. Rather, they should delete the e-mail as soon as they notice it, barring all scope for manipulation by the fraudsters, as reported by FamagustaGazette on September 19, 2008.

Besides, the Cytanet authorities repeated that it never ask for personal information about customers' accounts over e-mail and suggested that whenever they have any reservations or doubts they should call the CyTA Customer Service directly.

Meanwhile, security professionals said that phishing scams were increasing in Cyprus. Also, in similar news, a phishing scam was observed in July 2008, when cyber miscreants targeted Bank of Cyprus. In this case too, a fraudulent message was involved that pretended to arrive from the bank and misleading its clients to reveal personal data.

Related article: Phishing With A Redirector Code

» SPAMfighter News - 9/29/2008