I have recently received quite a few “phishing” emails (i.e. emails from people trying to get info they are not entitled to and usually involving internet banking). This is nothing new and has been happening for ages, but what is incredible is how “legitimate” these emails now appear.
Somehow, they have now managed to get it to look like the email has come directly from the bank with the bank address in the email address line. The give away though is when you follow the link to the “so-called” bank site or just scroll your mouse over the URL you will notice straight away that it is not the real thing…and in fact it is pointing you to some other site (where they will phish your information).
I guess though, that it is probably just a matter of time before they somehow manage to disguise that as well. In the light of this, I came across the following warning on the ABSA internet banking site – it is well worth reading.
Don’t Forget…
Absa, and in fact no bank, will ever send you an email or an SMS asking you to click on an Internet link to confirm or update your Internet Banking login details. Remember to regularly change your Internet Banking PIN number and PASSWORD, and do not divulge this information to anyone.
So the bottom line is – dont get caught – if you are going to use internet banking, make sure you always access it via the bank’s home page and not via some email or other link. Also make sure that you never use any computer other than your own.
That’s all for now!
Gregg
