Purporting to be from Telstra, the latest phishing scam intercepted by MailGuard targets customers of the popular telecommunications provider in an attempt to swindle unsuspecting victims into providing sensitive data, such as credit card and user login details. As a large company with a trusted brand and millions of customers, Telstra is a popular target for cybercriminals peddling phishing scams of this nature.
The email is quite simple, and poorly executed, with an incoherent subject line reading, ‘we’re encouraging some trouble processing your bill’ and no visible Telstra branding in the body of the email. The display name for the sender reads as ‘Telstra/AU’ attached to a long-winded email address. A couple of red flags highlighting the inauthenticity of the email.
Here’s what the email looks like:
If the customer clicks on the ‘Click here’ link, they are then taken to the first phishing page that seems more credible. The added elements of Telstra branding resemble an actual customer login page. Users are encouraged to sign into their online account using their Telstra username and login.
Once the victim has entered in these details and clicked on the ‘Sign In’ button, they are taken to the next page below, which asks for their credit card details, a close replica of a legitimate Telstra payments page.
The next step advises users that an SMS has been sent to their mobile phone in which a verification code is provided. However, this is likely to be an attempted charge on the credit card.
This campaign is designed to capture and harvest sensitive user credentials like usernames and passwords, along with credit card details, which may then be used in subsequent criminal activity such as for fraudulent payments or sold on the dark web to other cybercriminal groups.
Although the email is relatively simple in its execution, the phishing pages share a likeness to legitimate Telstra pages, which means that there is a likelihood that vulnerable customers may fall prey to the scam, simply due to their familiarity with the Telstra brand. In addition to this, given the urgent need to ensure that telephone and internet services remain operational.
Checking the sender details of suspicious emails is one way of verifying whether they are legitimate communications or email scams. In this instance, the email does not originate from an authentic Telstra email domain.
Here’s the advice from Telstra (https://www.telstra.com.au/help/contact-us/scams) with regard to email scams:
“What to look out for:
What to do next:
MailGuard urges all recipients of this email to delete it immediately without clicking on any links. Providing your personal details can result in your sensitive information being used for criminal activity and may have a severe negative impact on your financial well-being.
MailGuard urges users not to click links or open attachments within emails that:
One email is all that it takes
All that it takes to devastate your business is a cleverly worded email message that can steal sensitive user credentials or disrupt your business operations. If scammers can trick one person in your company into clicking on a malicious link or attachment, they can gain access to your data or inflict damage on your business.
For a few dollars per staff member per month, you can protect your business with MailGuard's predictive and advanced email security. Talk to a solution consultant at MailGuard today about securing your company's inboxes.
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