Just clicking on an email link can install harmful programs onto
your computer.
Filling in bank account or credit card details on a fake bank
website can cause you to lose your identity, as well as all the
money in your bank
account.
These are a selection of the fake email messages we have received
recently.
Have a look
through them
so that
you
will be able to recognise similar ones when you receive them.
The quality varies from poor to excellent. The one thing they
have in common is that THEY ARE ALL
FAKE.
Clicking on a link, or responding to these type of messages can
result in:
Examples of Fake Email Messages
These pages are safe to examine. The harmful links
have been removed, and replaced with links to a safe
page on the WebAngel site. |
SPARTA-TRADE
Money Laundering |
This is an attempt to recruit people into illegally transferring
funds from bank accounts. It uses the name of the
respected Australian online job agency
Career-One to add an air of legitimacy. |
EBay
Account Verification |
This fake request for personal details looks very genuine.
The reasons given for requesting the information are plausible,
and many
people
have
been misled by it.
(Thanks to B.Moloney for passing on this one - he wasn't fooled
:-) |
Westpac
Online Banking
FAKE Account validation request |
This one is quite professional and brazen. Although it is
full of security type talk, it is still a fake.
Your account
would be cleaned out if you had provided your login details
on the links helpfully provided in the original email. |
| Police
Investigation |
This one is REAL cute! Click on the link, and a keystroke
capturing program will be installed on your computer. If you
visit banks, etc your login details and credit card numbers
will be captured for subsequent retrieval by criminals.
If your Microsoft security patches are up to date, this you will be safe
from this type of program.
Play it Safe: Don't Click on links in email messages
like this one. They are intended to make you curious, and
catch you off guard. |
| FBI Illegal Files |
This is a message sent out by the Sober-C internet worm.
The wording and syntax errors in the message provide many
clues that is it not genuine. |
| National
Australia Bank: FAKE Bank Account Validation |
Like many other fakes, this one uses
images from the genuine bank website.
To lull the reader into a false sense of security many of
the links go to the actual fraud warning pages at the National
Bank.
Too bad the login goes to a dodgy website. |
| PayPal: FAKE Identity Verification |
Very professional looking email - that will allow the criminals
to transfer the funds out of your PayPal account. |
Lottery Winner
Announcements. |
This is a pretty basic con, but a lot of people still get
sucked in by it. |
| Commonwealth
Bank FAKE Account Verification |
This one is not very professional looking. |
ANZ Bank
Fake Account Verification |
As Above. |
National Bank
FAKE Account Verification #2 |
A simpler attempt than the first National Bank example. (Perhaps
it didn't work too well, so they tried to lift their game?
) |
PayPal
FAKE System Problems page. |
System problems are often used as an excuse to get you to
log in and "verify" information. This one is pretty
slick, and apparently fooled quite a few people. |
St. George Bank
FAKE System Upgrade page. |
Another one that says a "system upgrade" has eaten your account
details, and you have to log in and provide them. |
| Freezing
of Bank Account due to Criminal Activity |
This is for a US bank, but don't be surprised if similar
letters start appearing for Australian banks. |
Westpac
Reactivate Account |
A technical update means that you have to log in and reactivate
your account. People REALLY DO provide their
confidential bank information in response to messages like
this - but you wouldn't - would you ??? |
