{"id":131544,"date":"2015-07-08T20:22:50","date_gmt":"2015-07-08T18:22:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=131544"},"modified":"2015-07-08T20:24:33","modified_gmt":"2015-07-08T18:24:33","slug":"dont-fall-for-these-banking-phishing-email-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/banking\/131544-dont-fall-for-these-banking-phishing-email-scams.html","title":{"rendered":"Don’t fall for these banking phishing email scams"},"content":{"rendered":"

Phishing emails targeting online banking customers are a major problem in South Africa, with research showing that\u00a0the majority of these clients\u00a0are being targeted.<\/p>\n

The 2015 Columinate Internet Banking SITEisfaction survey revealed\u00a0that 55% of online banking customers had been targeted by fraud, while 12% incurred financial losses due to criminal activity.<\/p>\n

Columinate stated that\u00a0digital banking crimes in South Africa – including phishing attacks – are on the rise, which is of concern to banks and their customers.<\/p>\n

Fortunately there are ways to combat this type of online fraud, with\u00a0local banks and the Banking Association of South Africa providing guidelines on how to avoid falling victim to phishing scams.<\/p>\n

What is a phishing?<\/h3>\n

Phishing is when a criminal sends you an email claiming to be from a company or organisation – like your bank – in an attempt to get you to hand over sensitive information.<\/p>\n

This information can be used for identity theft, or to steal money from your bank account.<\/p>\n

This is done through different tactics, one of which involves getting the victim to click a link to a fake website for the purpose of “updating their personal details”. The fraudulent site\u00a0then prompts the user\u00a0to enter passwords and login details, which are captured.<\/p>\n

Spoofed websites look almost identical to the legitimate website of a well-known financial institution or business, according to the Banking Association of South Africa, with thousands of phishing emails sent to potential victims each month.<\/p>\n

Once a victim’s login and password details are captured, the criminal then has access to the online bank account.<\/p>\n

Phishing scams to look out for<\/h3>\n

Standard Bank, Absa, and FNB all provide examples of phishing emails – updating their “scam databases” on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

Phishing emails will appear to be legitimate, with accurate logos and industry terminology, while the mail may also be sent from a seemingly legitimate email address – “information@standardbank.co.za”, for example.<\/p>\n

It is relatively easy for phishing scammers to send an attack mail from an address that appears to belong to\u00a0a\u00a0bank.<\/p>\n

Phishing emails may also contain spyware attachments, which, if opened, can install key-logger software. This software then records what you type on your keyboard – including passwords and user names.<\/p>\n

The infographic\u00a0below details how you can identify a banking phishing email. (Click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

\"How<\/a>

How to identify a phishing email<\/p><\/div>\n

The images below shows\u00a0emails online banking customers should watch out for, as provided by Standard Bank, FNB, and Absa.<\/p>\n

Standard Bank<\/h3>\n
\"Standard<\/a>

Standard Bank scam email<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Standard<\/a>

Standard Bank scam email<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Standard<\/a>

Standard Bank scam email<\/p><\/div>\n

FNB<\/h3>\n
\"FNB<\/a>

FNB scam email<\/p><\/div>\n

\"FNB<\/a>

FNB scam email<\/p><\/div>\n

\"FNB<\/a>

FNB scam email<\/p><\/div>\n

\"FNB<\/a>

FNB scam email<\/p><\/div>\n

Absa<\/h3>\n
\"Absa<\/a>

Absa scam email<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Absa<\/a>

Absa scam email<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Absa<\/a>

Absa scam email<\/p><\/div>\n

How to avoid becoming a victim<\/h3>\n

The banks mentioned above, along with the\u00a0Banking Association of South Africa, provide the following advice on how to avoid falling victim to a phishing email attack.<\/p>\n