How to get rich quick....or not! Scams and more...: Phishing scam

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Phishing scam - hoax email

Here is a phising letter I received last week.
The link no longer works as the user's account has been suspended-blocked, but is was a very authentic looking website using ABSA logos. The dead giveaway was the very long and strange URL which did not contain "Absa" at all.
For more info on how phishing works click here.

From: Absa Online Banking [mailto:customerservice@home-absa.co.za]
Sent: 13 February 2009 14:45
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Security Alert Message From Absa Bank (You Have One Important Message In Your Inbox)

Dear customer,

At Absa Bank, we're committed to making your Internet banking experience as safe as possible. We use the latest online security technology to protect your personal information and privacy.

Confirm your Absa Bank Account now to enjoy the benefits of internet banking and finance and to avoid fraudulent activities on your account.

To initiate the verification process: Kindly (CLICK HERE TO PROCEED)
Important Notices: Our Security Department, Therefore ensure a security measure against Unauthorized attempt. Enjoy Your Internet banking Guide.

Regards,

Thank you for your patience.
Sincerely, Absa Internet Bank.

Customer Service.

"Thank you for your patience".....while we empty out your bank account! Very funny!

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What is advance-fee fraud?

According to Wikipedia advance-fee fraud is a confidence trick in which the target is persuaded to advance sums of money in the hope of realizing a significantly larger gain. Among the variations on this type of scam, are the Nigerian Letter (also called the 419 fraud, Nigerian scam, Nigerian bank scam, or Nigerian money offer, the Spanish Prisoner, the Black money scam as well as Russian/Ukrainian scam (also extremely widespread, though far less popular than the former). Both the so-called Russian and Nigerian scams stand for wholly dissimilar organised crime traditions, they therefore tend to use altogether different breeds of approaches.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Advance-fee fraud
The 419 scam originated in the early 1980s as the oil-based Nigerian economy declined. Several unemployed university students first used this scam as a means of manipulating business visitors interested in shady deals in the Nigerian oil sector before targeting businessmen in the west, and later the wider population. Scammers in the early-to-mid 1990s targeted companies, sending scam messages via letter, fax, or Telex. The spread of email and easy access to email-harvesting software made the cost of sending scam letters through the Internet low. In the 2000s, the 419 scam has spurred imitations from other locations in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe, and, more recently, from North America, Western Europe (mainly UK), and Australia.
The number "419" refers to the article of the Nigerian Criminal Code (part of Chapter 38: "Obtaining Property by false pretences; Cheating") dealing with fraud. The American Dialect Society has traced the term "419 fraud" back to 1992.
The advance-fee fraud is similar to a much older scam known as the Spanish Prisoner scam in which the trickster would tell the scam victim that a (fictitious) rich prisoner had promised to share (non-existent) treasure with the victim if the latter would send money to bribe the prison guards.
Insa Nolte, a lecturer of University of Birmingham's African Studies Department, stated that "The availability of e-mail helped to transform a local form of fraud into one of Nigeria's most important export industries."