Online banking 'security'

[Skint Gull]

My business e-mail address gets e-mail requests almost daily from banks asking me to click on links to confirm online security. All sounds very reasonable except that we bank with HSBC, not all the other ones asking me to click these links?

They all seem to be from proper domain names (ie -----@natwest.com) but the messages are often very badly laid out and as I said, I do not bank with them! Anybody else get them cos they seem very suspicious to me?

Examples below

Dear National Westminster Bank (NatWest Bank) customer,

We regularly perform scheduled maintenance for our OnLine Banking customers. We intend upgrading our OnLine Banking security server for better online services.

In order to ensure you do not experience service interruption, you are required to complete our OnLine Banking Customer Form by following the secured hyperlink below:


http://www.natwest.co.uk/securesession/action.aspx?refererident=6712660828004565493

Thank you for banking with National Westminster Bank, the industry leader in safe and secure online banking.

National Westminster Bank Customer Service


_______________________________

National Westminster Bank © 2007







Dear Value Customer,

Due to concerns,for the safety and intergrity of the online banking community
We have issued the following warning message.

It has come to our attention that your account information needs to be confirmed
Due to inactive customers,fraud and spoof reports if you could please take 5-10minutes
Out of your online experince and renew your records you will not run into any future problems
with the online service. However,failure to confirm your records may result in your account suspension.

To confirm your bank account records please the button.



Once you have confirmed your account records your internet banking service
Will not be interrupted and will continue as normal.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter

Sincerely,
Lloyds TSB Security Department Team.

 

[Springal]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing

 

[Publius Ovidius]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MTFauI8INY&feature=related

 

[Cian]

From address can and have been spoofed for ten years or more now, so things can "appear" to be from anywhere.

 

[Bad Ash]

So you've been using the internet since at least 2003 (your reg date) and you've never come across or heard of these before?

Yes they are fake, but today my friend you are in luck. I have recently come into a $100,000,000 fortunte, but require a bank accoutn held in England to access the money. I am willing to give you 10% of this fortune if you are able to help me in this matter. PM your bank details if interested.

Prince Aba Ada Jarferi, 3rd in line to the Throne.

 

[gullshark]

I usually fill out humerous details in their forms like

Mr. Wayne Kerr.

Aren't I a card?

 

[maffew]

They all seem to be from proper domain names (ie -----@natwest.com) but the messages are often very badly laid out and as I said, I do not bank with them! Anybody else get them cos they seem very suspicious to me?

maybe they seem suspicous cos you dont bank with them?

Cant believe anyone gets taken in by any of this stuff (except people lacking any common sense or computer/technical knowledge whatsover in which case they shouldnt buy a pc)

 

[London Calling]

er indoors got a spoof from paypal recently, very good spoof, coincided with a (non related) freeze of her ebay account, she nearly fell for it, until we sorted out the ebay problem and ebay confirmed it wasa a spoof.

 

[Skint Gull]

So you've been using the internet since at least 2003 (your reg date) and you've never come across or heard of these before?

Yes they are fake, but today my friend you are in luck. I have recently come into a $100,000,000 fortunte, but require a bank accoutn held in England to access the money. I am willing to give you 10% of this fortune if you are able to help me in this matter. PM your bank details if interested.

Prince Aba Ada Jarferi, 3rd in line to the Throne.

That sort of shit I know of though what people post on here but you'd have to be thick as shit to go for summin like that! Thing is I have 3 personal email accounts, one of which is specifically for anyone who i buy from who i think might spam me and I still don't get stuff like that!

My concern was the fact that this comes from what appears to be a legit domain name. I'm smart enough to know not to give out any information like that unless I have done something to make me need to give it out, however I'm sure there's plenty of people who aren't!

No wonder people get scammed out of thousands of pounds so easily!

 

[maffew]

That sort of shit I know of though what people post on here but you'd have to be thick as shit to go for summin like that! Thing is I have 3 personal email accounts, one of which is specifically for anyone who i buy from who i think might spam me and I still don't get stuff like that!

My concern was the fact that this comes from what appears to be a legit domain name. I'm smart enough to know not to give out any information like that unless I have done something to make me need to give it out, however I'm sure there's plenty of people who aren't!

No wonder people get scammed out of thousands of pounds so easily!

I think the fact you dont bank with them should raise alarm bells

(and its not an https site)

 

[Storer68]

even https sitex are now falling victims to this kind of fraud.

and loads of people do fall victim to this crime

 

[Skint Gull]

I think the fact you dont bank with them should raise alarm bells

(and its not an https site)

Yeah but i very easily could have banked with them, they could easily have sent it by HSBC.com i'm sure!

As I said, you would never find me getting done by something like that but according to IQtest.com i'm cleverer than about 98% of the population so I'm sure there's plenty of others who would.

 

[Gazwag]

So you've been using the internet since at least 2003 (your reg date) and you've never come across or heard of these before?

Yes they are fake, but today my friend you are in luck. I have recently come into a $100,000,000 fortunte, but require a bank accoutn held in England to access the money. I am willing to give you 10% of this fortune if you are able to help me in this matter. PM your bank details if interested.

Prince Aba Ada Jarferi, 3rd in line to the Throne.

Mr you Mr Ming Yang as well



Good Day,

I am the Director Of Opearations of the Hang Seng Bank.I am contacting you concerning an investor Gen.Aadeel Agaal Bastaan,who was with the Iraqi forces and also businessman who died without naming a legal next of kin to his fund $10,500.000.00USD (TEN MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND USD)and in banking regulation/legislation in Hong Kong demand that I notify the fiscal authorities after five years.The above set of facts underscores my reason to seek your permission to have you stand as the next of kin to the deceased investor.This funds will be approve and release in your favour as the next of kin if only you will adhere to my instruction and cooperate with me in one accord as the sole originator of this deal.

I assure you that I have had everything planned out so that we shall come out successful.There is no risk involved at all in this matter, as we are going to adopt a legalized method.Being a foreigner and a friend and a business partner to be I am prepared to place you in a position to instruct my bank to release the deposit to you as the closest surviving relation.I have all the legal and Banking details of my deceased client that will facilitate our putting you forward as the claimant/beneficiary of the funds and ultimately transfer of the $10,500.000.00USD to you.We share the proceeds 50/50.

Should you be interested in my proposal,I prefer you reach me on my private e-mail address mrmingyang45217@yahoo.com.hk. I ask that if you find no interest in this project that you should discard this e-mail.Please observe this instruction religiously.

Your earliest response to this letter will be appreciated.

Sincerely,
Mr.Ming Yang.
mrmingyang45217@yahoo.com.hk

 

[Storer68]

Hello!!!
My name is Svetlana.
I live in Russia, in the city of Yoshkar-Ola. To me 26 years.
I would like to find out you better, but for the beginning I shall tell a little about itself:
Studied in institute also I have good educations I work as the the children's the teacher. Since the childhood I have chosen for this myself trade I very much I like my work, I have respect of people with which I I work also which to work with me.
I can tell about myself that with a smile I go for work, therefore that really I receive great pleasure from work with children. I love children very much and I would like to have children in the future, but for the beginning I want to find the love. My director has planned to open a private school for Russian children in UK. I and some other Children's doctors of our school had an opportunity to work in the UK. To work in the UK I has passed fast rate of studying English language. To me did all necessary documents for flight in UK, but approximately one month ago director informed me that all plans are cancelled and is never possible to be carried out. I built big plans and all has failed.
Certainly I have been very much disappointed when has learned these news.
Several days ago to me there has come the invitation from UK the ambassador for reception of the visa. Director informed me that I can to take advantage of this visa in my personal purposes.
Also director informed that can give long holiday from work if I shall decide to fly in the UK. I long thought the visa is necessary for me whether or not. I heard about your country much and it seems to me that really the best place where it is possible to live and to enjoy a life. The UK has good economy and it does yours the country stable.
I think that the UK it really best place to find the love, and to live happily up to the end of a life. I always dreamed to see what life in the UK and it is possible even to find the love there. Now this dream seems a reality because with the visa I I have an opportunity to travel in the UK.
I have taken advice about trip to the UK at the girlfriends and they have told that will be happy for me if I shall carry out the dream of trips to the UK. Also they informed that men from UK have all qualities of the best husband. It is valid so? I has decided to fly in the UK, but it is difficult for me to think of flight in your country seriously because know nobody there.
Probably it silly sounds, but I has decided to engage to searches of the man from the UK on the Internet. Now I have written to you also it would be very glad if my visa was useful for ours meetings. I would like to learn you closer. To learn it is more about your plans, dreams and values.
Who knows, probably we have general plans for The future and to us it will be good together!?
If you really want to find the good woman for yourself that please write to me and perhaps in the future we could know better each other and we would have our meeting and we could build the present family and good relations.
I really good woman which want love and happiness and I when did not want to destroy your heart.
Please, write to me back and send your pic on my regular e-mail svetlanamila@bk.ru

I shall look forward to hearing from you.
To have good day,
Svetlana.


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[beorhthelm]

They all seem to be from proper domain names (ie -----@natwest.com)

anything related to banks or other sources theat are important (paypal, email provider) ALWAYS hover over the link and check in the bottom left of the browser where it is actually going to. if in any doubt, type the url for your bank yourself.

even https sitex are now falling victims to this kind of fraud.

and loads of people do fall victim to this crime

sadly they do. Https means sweet fa really, it only protects you from a man in the middle attack and protecting your actual password by encryption. bogus sites can just as easily use a https spoof or even a proper certified site - how often do you actually check the certificate rather than just clicking ok?

Banks will phone you if there is any problems, but watch out there too, because you could be getting a fake call and give across all your security info. So now they seem to be emailling to phone the call center which you can verify is the right number.

 

[Don't get me started]

Being a new boy on here I don't now if this has been covered but this is really worth a look

http://www.419eater.com/

These people try to take the scammers for some money, some of the casebooks are fantastic, if only I had the time.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

For the past three months turns out my bank statements have been going to my ex-missus. She lives in France and 'accidentally' had my statements sent there. First I knew of it was when she sent me back a stack of 'em in the post.

Phoned up NatWest tonight to get my mailing address changed back to my proper Brighton BN1 address and they won't do it unless I give them the second digit of my 'online banking PIN'. That'll be the one from that shit online banking system I tried to use once about five years ago and gave up as a bad job then...

How does THAT work?

 

[blackprince]

Banks are fully aware that their customers are the target of such scams almost on a daily basis. If you check their on-line security processes I believe that they will all say that they do not require sensitive information such as pin numbers or passwords to be confirmed by email etc. As was said in a previous post, the big give away in a lot of cases is that you do not bank with them so why would they need any details from you in the first place. If you receive an email purporting to come from the bank that you are actually with requesting such information, under no circumstances should you should reply to it, give the bank's customer services a call if you think it might be genuine, it's better to phone than to provide the details on line and be sorry.

 

[Kenneth Wattle]

If you get an email from ebay, paypal, bank etc asking for you to update your details or anything like that, your best bet is to go into your web browser and go to the site by typing it in yourself, rather than click on any link in the email.

Chances are you will login to the site and find they don't want any new details etc. ALSO banks will NEVER EVER ask you to update your details by email or phone. And in any case why should you need to update your details- they should have them already!!