Since the beginning of September I have received more than 60 phising emails from ABSA, FNB and Standard Bank. Most of them are the same old drivel about needing to verify account info or reset a “one-time pin” or some variation of that. However, this morning I received one that is new and really clever and is bound to catch more than a few people. It is a notice from Standard Bank confirming the addition of a new private beneficiary…it looks just like the real thing only this time there is the option to STOP NEW BENEFICIARY NOW and there is the clue.
As with all of the other phishing scams, if you scroll your mouse over the URL (STOP NEW BENEFICIARY NOW) you will see that it is not linking you to a Standard Bank website…and if you follow it and enter your info then you will find yourself out of pocket.
So here are a few tips:
- Never follow an email link “from” your bank – as a rule, banks dont send emails to their customers. If you need to access your bank account then make sure you go via the bank’s home page and make sure that the web address is the correct one – it should start with https://www… and there should be a little padlock in the address line confirming that it is a secure link.
- If you are uncertain then scroll your mouse over the URL to check the address of the site and if you are still uncertain then phone the bank and make sure. In this case, this is where the URL would take you http://server14.web-mania.com/users/fnbaccoC/ This is quite clearly not Standard Bank!
- The phishers are just that – throwing a baited hook into the water hoping to catch something/anything…and as people become more aware of their schemes so they get more cunning about disguising the hook. The “latest” scam is an example of this…never ever access your bank account from an emailed link.
