Phishing scams

WARNING - fake Support emails We have become aware that a number of fake emails are in circulation, purporting to come from NewNet Support Centre and inviting recipients to confirm account details etc. Some emails ask users to open ZIP file attachments - which when opened unload virus and other undesirable materials. NewNet never send out emails asking for customers to confirm personal and account information. NewNet rarely send file attachments to customers and never send attachments in ZIP format. If you are in any doubt about a communication from NewNet please contact the Helpdesk team to verify the contents.

'phishing' scams have become an increasingly common form of illegal activity over the internet - often beginning with an email that appears to be sent from a bank, building society or other financial account holder (including eBay and PayPal). The example above shows an email purporting to be from the Nationwide Building Society and invites account holders to visit a web site and enter details of their account cards to confirm their status.

Although the link looks genuine, the actual site that is linked from the email is not a bank site - although was created to look like the real thing. Once at the remote site, the unsuspecting user is invited to enter details of their account and cards. The data collected can then be used for illegal activities - including fraudulent online purchases and much more.

Protect yourself from 'phishing' scams

Never give out your personal details, including bank and/or credit card information via email or in response to emails. Reputable banks and other institutions will never ask you to confirm information in this way.

Always check your credit card and bank statements and report any unusual activity to the card issuer/bank immediately.

Check any web site that asks for your personal or bank/credit card details to make sure that it uses a secure server (https:) - click on the Yellow padlock at the bottom of the Internet Explorer window - check to make sure that the secure certificate is issued to the same name as appears in the site URL.

Run Ad-Aware and Spy-Bot software to detect and remove data mining software on your system

Install, use and maintain Anti-Virus software to detect and disinfect your system against virus, worm and trojan infection

Ensure that your system is up to date by downloading and installing the latest security updates and patches.

More information
'phishing' attacks rise 10-fold in 2004 - ZD Net

Links

Lavasoft - Ad-Aware anti-spyware application
SpyBot - Search and Destroy

Microsoft Windows Update

Bank Safe Online

Disclaimer: Information is provided in general terms only and is not intended to be taken as advice for specific situations. All information is provided in good faith and NewNet accepts no responsibility or liability for actions taken by customers reading these pages. NewNet is not responsible for the content or action of third party materials linked from these pages.