Bank issues scam alert

BENDIGO Bank has issued a warning to customers to be aware of phishing scams.

Phishing is an illegal practice where people are sent fake emails or text messages from accounts purporting to be from large organisations, which specifically ask the recipient to open attachments which end up being dangerous.

The bank’s head of customer protection, Jason Gordon, said as the end of financial year approaches, purchases are on the increase and email traffic is at a high, so for criminals, the conditions are perfect to scam unsuspecting people out of money.

“Phishing has been around since the mid-90s, and people have been warned about not opening suspicious attachments for many years,” he said.

“But attackers are continuously reinventing themselves.

“What’s new about these attacks is that they’re now using things like customisation, impersonation tactics and

what are now viewed as uncommon file attachments, like HTML, to bypass spam filters and catch you in a time of peak activity.”

If opened, the files may direct recipients to fake login pages or forms, where their personal details, pins and login information can then be stolen.

“Do not click the link or open files in these emails. It’s important to treat any link or attachment you are sent as suspicious,” said Mr Gordon.

“Bendigo Bank will never send you a HTML file. Bendigo Bank will never ask you to log into internet banking via a link sent in an email.”

Forward any suspicious emails to [email protected] for investigation.