Phishing Attacks Escalate in South Africa

Marketing Director Cordell Brewer for TouchBasePro an e-mail marketing company, pointing out SABRIC's (South African Banking Risk Information Center) alert expresses concern of a rise in phishing attacks targeting local Internet operators. ITWeb Business reported this on May 16, 2011.

Says Kalyani Pillay CEO of SABRIC, from the phishing incidence reports coming to the company, it's clear that cyber-crooks spamming messages are trying to grab payment card details for executing fake online purchases. ITWeb Business reported this.

Ms. Kalyani adds that while the above fraud isn't new, it's getting increasingly widespread unlike before. Moreover, it's quite lucid that perpetrators now have the ability for soliciting greater amount of private data from bank accountholders unlike what happened earlier.

Significantly, as per the Online Fraud Report of RSA released during April 2011 which's the 14th monthly edition in a row, South Africa is among the 3 most frequently targeted countries witnessing phishing attacks by the greatest number.

And although phishing e-mails are frequently dispatched via spoofing of any big bank's name in the country, they're attacking the South African Revenue Service and similar institutions more-and-more. A few scammers are even attacking small enterprise clients like those of real-estate companies.

They collect the maximum possible information regarding such companies after which they dispatch formal appearing e-mails complete with the companies' address, logo and so on to clients with the information that there's been an alternation in banking information. Consequently, unsuspecting recipients may get deceived into depositing funds inside the back account of a scammer.

Writes Brewer, SA companies, which routinely maintain contact with their clients over electronic mail require adding digital signatures when they send their mass e-mails so they can be validated to those meant to receive them. Themediaonline reported this on May 16, 2011.

Meanwhile, the prominent banking institutions are equipped with their own mechanisms for validating e-mails, but several smaller companies aren't similarly equipped. Hence, by using a digital signature for an e-mail, an end-user can mark the message distinctly.

Stated Brewer, organizations required adopting measures for safeguarding their precious customers as well as brand names from such scams. ITWeb Business reported this.

Related article: Phishing With A Redirector Code

» SPAMfighter News - 5/25/2011