Scams
Phishing has been around for years but Ausbanc (the association of bank users) has warned that over the last week or so clients have reported a new surge in this type of email
18.11.09 - 12:26 -
The subject of the new email is attractive: “Banesto organises prize draw”. Click to find out more and you come across a text in Spanish, but full of spelling mistakes, explaining that the bank invites you to take part in a prize draw as a reward for being such a good client. “All you have to do is identify yourself with your user name and password and you could win a car, a motorbike or 10 prizes worth 1000 euros. Don’t miss this opportunity. Identify yourself here”.
Anyone who takes the bait and provides the necessary information has become a victim of ‘phishing’ the name given to this type of scam that has become one of the most common cons in cyberspace.
Phishing has been around for years but Ausbanc (the association of bank users) has warned that over the last week or so clients have reported a new surge in this type of email.
“The increase could be down to the financial crisis causing more people to turn to this type of crime, or simply that the fraudsters are taking advantage of the fact that people have dropped their guard after the initial surge in ‘phishing’ died out”, says Alfredo Martínez, responsible for Ausbanc in the province of Malaga.
Once the crooks have obtained a client’s passwords then they can access bank accounts online and empty them. Martínez warns that as more and more people start using internet the chances of being ‘phished’ are greater, especially as groups who are less informed about the risks involved, such as the elderly, are discovering new technology.
In the space of just seven days this newspaper received five fraudulent emails. One claimed to come from the CAM (Caja Mediterránea) and called for clients to confirm their details.
“A bank will never ask a client to confirm passwords in an email” adds Víctor Domingo, the president of the internet users association in the province of Malaga.
