22-05-2015, 01:30 PM
21
Re: Is this a scam Email
To categorise these emails more correctly they are :Phishing emails
Not viruses.
I get one of these Phishing emails every month like clockwork purporting to be from Santander. I NEVER now open any of them and simply move to a Phishing folder I have created in case authorities ever need to refer to them.
I don't have an account with Santander and never have had and I had to phone Santander to check with them that they had no accounts in my name which they confirmed.
The emails will never stop because once they have your email address from somewhere they have it for good.
The "virus" or "malware" would come if I ever clicked on any of the links WITHIN the actual email. The way these banking ones work is the email rants on about something and then the entire lower half of the email is presented as a load of "small print" which says "we take security very seriously. If you are not the person referred to in the email or believe your account has been compromised please contact us immediately at [website address here].
The entire scam is based on 2 fundamental precepts:
1. It appears to be a legitimate email from your bank
2. It appears to suggest that "something" may not be right and that you need to report that by clicking on the hot links in the email to contact the bank.
Doubtless if you do use one of the links, the virus/malware will wing its way to your PC.
My advice to you is this.
For ANYTHING to do with your bank, ALWAYS use the actual bank website to view information. If the bank is genuinely sending info out via email then that same info should be available to read from their own website after you have logged in with your credentials.
Hence, I would not open any email that purports to be from your bank but use their website instead.
As a side to this, the same applies to any telephone calls received. Very often you might get a call, usually with an automated voice system, saying they are your bank's anti-fraud team who are wanting to confirm some odd transactions they have spotted on your account.
Now sometimes this is very true and legitimate and the process for sorting it is usually very simple. Just providing a few personal details to confirm who you are, then listening to the list of transactions and then pressing a telephone key to confirm that they were your transactions.
Nevertheless, one should NEVER EVER take such a phone call at face value. Never say anything or provide any details.
As soon as you receive a call purporting to be from your bank's anti-fraud team, simply hang up, then Google your bank's website and find the telephone number for the fraud team and phone it yourself.
Then you know you are definitely talking to the genuinely bank team.
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