WHAT you are about to read happened mere weeks ago! Customers of AXIS Bank (formerly UTI Bank), received an e-mail asking them to renew certain services. If they didn't, the e-mail claimed, their account could be suspended or deleted. Reproduced below is the text of the e-mail:
Dear Customer,
This is your official notification from AXIS Alerts Previous notifications have been sent to the Billing Contact assigned to this account. As the Primary Contact, you must renew the service(s) listed below or it will be deactivated or deleted.
Click on the following link below to renew online banking information.
EXPIRATION: Aug. 9th 2007
*Renew My Online profile*
Sincerely,
AXIS Account Review Department.
© 2007 AXIS Bank All rights reserved
The mail then provided a link that took the gullible customers to a site which looked exactly like the AXIS Bank web site! This incident was alerted by security company Websense Security Labs. It reports that fraudsters were using e-mails to target AXIS Bank customers. And yet another instance of the widespread 'phishing' menace today came to light. What you should know about phishing
Phishing is a criminal activity used to collect confidential information such as your credit card number, bank account access details and so on. Typically, you receive an e-mail from a familiar looking e-mail ID (like info@abcdbank.com). The mail would contain sensitive, threatening or provocative messages, prompting you to respond immediately. Don't bite these baits!
Watch out for these common baits in your e-mail. These may come in the form of subject matter or even in the body of your e-mail.
- Your bank account is disabled
- Technical or statutory verification
- Action required for security reasons
- You have won a surprise gift
- Verify security upgrades
The idea is to get you to click the given link in the message.
The link takes you to a site that looks authentic (similar to your bank’s web site, for example). You think you have logged on to your bank’s site and key in confidential banking information. What you have done, effectively, is give sensitive information on a platter to fraudsters. And you bet they will misuse it, leaving you to foot the bill. Problem is, once realisation dawns, you will not be able to do much about it -- you don't even know who they are! They could be anywhere in the country or, indeed, anywhere in the world.
What you can do to protect yourself
i. Beware of e-mails that sound 'phishy'.
ii. Smell a rat if an e-mail is not personalised. For example, it would begin with ‘Dear Customer’ rather than your name. Fraudsters normally send mails en masse.
iii. Do not act rashly, even if the e-mail asks you to act promptly.
iv. If asked for confidential information, don’t even click on the links provided.
v. Check the URL of the web site where you enter information.
Phishing web sites differ from the original.
Original web site - Phishing web site
https://www.abcdbank.com - http://www.abcdbank.com
https://www.abcdbank.com - https://www.abcbbank.com
https://www.abcdbank.com - https://www.abcd-bank.com
vi. Check the padlock sign at the bottom right end of your browser’s status bar. All secure financial web sites have this security feature.
vii. Never enter your personal information in a pop-up screen where the URL is not visible.
viii. Protect your computer with spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software.
ix. Use the latest web browsers available. The new Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox browsers come equipped with phishing filters.
x. Never open e-mail attachments from unknown sources. Should you fall prey to a phishing attack despite all these precautions, act immediately. Contact the respective bank or web site and forward the phishing e-mail to them for verification.
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