14 DAY TRIAL // In the past few months, a particular phishing scam that targets the financial details of unsuspecting bank customers has been making the rounds. The interesting thing is that the same message has been used in schemes that involve the names of at least three banks.
The emails look something like this:
“Dear Customer,
We've put lots of security measures in place to help protect you and your money. From secure servers to spotting fraud patterns, we work to stop the criminals in their tracks.
There's lots you can do as well - simply understanding the threats can help you stay safe.
Click below to get Act Now Alerts
Yours sincerely,
Steve Rubenstein Category Director Everyday Banking at [bank name]”
The interesting thing about this phishing scam is that the name of the bank is changed every month or so. The fake notifications were first spotted as coming from NatWest, then from HSBC, and more recently from Santander.
One noteworthy thing is that the director whose name is used to sign off the alerts actually works for the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Also, the text is copied from the “banking safely online” section on NatWest’s official website.
No matter which of the variants might land in your inbox, I advise you to be extra careful before clicking on the links contained in these notifications, as they can point to well-designed replicas of the banks' sites.