Security

On line Banking Scam

Some NZ & Australian bank customers have been the victims of a scam that takes advantage of weaknesses in their firewall and security settings.

False job advertisements appeared on recruitment sites. The advertisements were from fictitious overseas companies that sought people to receive funds and forward them to an overseas recipient.

A 'trojan' or virus program was copied into the victim's computer, either through emails or web surfing. The virus program captured and sent keystrokes along with bank access numbers and passwords. The scammers then could access the customer?s accounts to transfer funds to one of the people ?employed? through the false job advertisements.

In the third part of the scam the person employed through the false job advertisement was asked to transfer the funds to the overseas account of the scam perpetrator.

If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.

If you are offered payment to transfer funds, be wary that there may be fraudulent activity involved and that there are risks associated, including the possibility of criminal charges.

(this information was extracted in part from a Bank website in New Zealand). See also the article on the NZ Police website below.