Bank emails

You have just received an urgent email from your bank notifying you of fraudulent activity.

It requests you confirm your banking details by clicking onto a designated link. The email states that this process is mandatory and failure may result in a temporary cessation of your account services pending submission.

The email looks real with your bank’s logo, text and images.

Don’t be fooled. These “phishing” emails are designed to steal your personal information. If you click on the link, you are redirected to a mirror of your own bank’s website which captures your logon and password details.

Ask yourself why would a bank contact you via email requesting details that they already possess?

If you receive an email from someone purporting to be from your bank and requesting account and password details, do not respond. Immediately contact your bank. Do not use the telephone number the email has provided.

Some emails also contain Trojans which monitor keystrokes, enabling criminals to access personal information, such as online banking passwords.

The Australian High Tech Crime Centre provides this advice: