MailGuard Editor 11 March 2015 00:44:00 AEDT 2 MIN READ

Scammers Target Unsuspecting Online Banking Customers

Customers who utilise online banking are being warned to pay close attention to the email correspondence they receive from their banks.

This comes off the back of another spate of fast-breaking phishing emails targeting Australian inboxes, with these particular ones purporting to come from the ANZ Bank.

The email doesn't contain any attachments, which is one of the reasons it has managed to get passed standard desktop AVs, however, it does contain a link to a fraudulent website.

Below is an example of the scam email:

ANZ phishing Scam 1

This email informs users that their ANZ service has been limited because the number of login attempts has been exceeded. As you can see, the email address circled above is not a legitimate ANZ email address.

If a user clicks the 'Log on ANZ Internet Banking' link, they would be taken to a webpage which then asks for the user's login details, potentially giving criminals access to their online bank account.

ANZ phishing Scam 2

As you can see, the address of this web page is also not the legitimate ANZ URL - www.anz.com.au.

These days, most banks will contact their customers via email, so keep in mind that any email addresses and websites that are not the same as the bank’s actual address could be a scam site.

Remember, it is best practice not to click any link contained within an email, especially when logging into your bank’s website. Be sure to type the URL directly into your secure browser, use the official banking app on your smart phone or contact your bank directly by telephone if unsure.

Multilayered defence such as desktop anti-virus, anti-malware, anti-spyware, and cloud-based email and web filtering services, will also help to ensure that your business is best protected from receiving scam emails, and from the malicious or phishing links to compromised sites contained within these emails.