Warning - Hoax Email

[Nathan Rzepecki]

As of yesterday afternoon there is a nasty hoax email that is going around which appears as though it is sent from the National Bank. This email is completely fake and not from the National Bank at all.

More information can be found on this issue at a warning on their website.

http://www.national.com.au/Internet_Banking/0,,606 15,00.html

[Maximus]

Nathan, I got that email yesterday.

Thanks for the heads up.

[Odin]

I also recommend people dont answer emails from ebay asking for their account details due to a security breach. They are fake and I routinely pass them on to spoof@ebay.com.au for ebay to investigate.

[Nathan Rzepecki]

Originally posted by Maximus
Nathan, I got that email yesterday.

Thanks for the heads up.

I have checked out the email in a bit more detail myself. The entire body of the email is actually an image so clicking anywhere on the page on a HTML enabled email client will trigger the link.

The link is passed through a number of international servers and is then processed at an offshore server.

[Xcesiv308]

Geez these have been doing the spam email run for months now, not only NAB but Westpac & ANZ, you guys in WA really are behind the times :D

[Andrew]

Originally posted by Odin
I also recommend people dont answer emails from ebay asking for their account details due to a security breach. They are fake and I routinely pass them on to spoof@ebay.com.au for ebay to investigate.

I got two of these this morning. I forwarded them to ebay.
Ebay have already got back to me.

The original 'spoof' email said someone was fraudulently using my ebay account, so I should click on a link to verify my personal information.
It all sounds quite reasonable, but as I have been asked this type of stuff before by email and reported it, I knew that this time around it was indeed a fake too. Ebay will not ask you to do that.
To all intents and purposes, the emails look like they DO come from ebay, but do not be fooled.

Ebay got back to me and reported that they were indeed 'spoof' emails, thanked me for forwarding them on, and were contacting the relevant authorities.

Just be very vigilant and cautious. Sadly there are a plethora of people trying to rip you off in all manner of clever and complex ways, which is a sad indictment of human nature I think...

[Nick Short]

How often are these people caught and strung up? Virus writers often do it for a twisted sense of achievement and mischief, but these "phishing" emails are done specifically to steal your money or identity. Far worse than viruses in intent, and yet it seems too easy for these people to get away with it. I've had the eBay and banking scams, and wished there was some way of returning the favour, but it's all automated and the origin of the email is disguised.

[Nathan Rzepecki]

A Current Affair have done a number of stories on this topic and there is an Australian Federal Internet Crime department but I can't find their website at the moment.

The link has information gathered from the ACA website.

http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/search/search.asp?query= internet+crime&go.x=0&go.y=0&collection=ACA