New scam targets identity theft: ACT police

By Staff writers, ZDNet Australia
01 September 2004 10:52 AM
Tags: e-mail, scam, act, police, phishing, site, visit, stolen
The Australian Capital Territory police are warning Internet users to be wary of a new e-mail scam that deceptively alerts the recipient that their identity has been stolen.

ACT Detective-Sergeant Fiona Sagripanti said the latest scam has the subject "Your ID was stolen" and attempts to persuade the user to visit a Web site.

"This latest scam is particularly shrewd as it appears under the title 'Your I.D was stolen' and then attempts to induce the recipient to visit a Web site offering assistance. If the Web site is visited, a Trojan is activated that allows the scammers to log the user's computer usage, which could include personal and financial details," Sagripanti said.

Sagripanti warns that users should be careful before opening their e-mails and that not all virus protection programs can guard their PCs against Internet sites containing Trojans.

Sagripanti is encouraging Internet users to visit useful Web sites, such as www.codephish.info, that has regularl updates about spam, and Trojan or virus related issues.

Codephish is a not-for-profit Web site maintained by volunteers and Internet users.

Advertisement

Talkback 3 comments

    This is not new. There are doz ...Anonymous -- 01/09/04

    This is not new.
    There are dozens of these scams going round. Some will say "Your credit card has been debited $xxx.zz for webhosting or a DVD player or something. Click here to view receipt". Some may say your bank account has been debited, but same ruse.
    Idea is to alarm the recipient so that they click the magic link.

    Wrong article: should say &quo ...Anonymous -- 01/09/04

    Wrong article: should say "Web site closed down by ACT police". Why publicise the criminals, and not just shut down their operations. The web site could even be altered to say that the victims directed there have been scammed, and give some more information on how to avoid being scammed again.

    Policing should be pro-active some times also.

    Thank you SO very much!! For t ...Anonymous -- 14/12/04

    Thank you SO very much!! For those of us who spent relentless, tedious hours doing research to protect both our computers and our children, thank you for this info.
    Some of us love computers, cannot afford cl****es to gain knowledge, so therefore we 'SCHOOL' ourselves, doing searches, researches and much investigating.
    Sites like this are most helpful.Thank you for your time, caring and dedication. Sara

Add your opinion

Latest Videos

Sponsored content

Power Centre - Content from our premier sponsors

Blogs

  • Suzanne Tindal Sick of broken tender sites
    Some of the state governments desperately need to invest in more user-friendly tender sites so that looking for information on government tenders doesn't have to be a game of blind man's bluff.
  • Array Cyberwar: What is it good for?
    In this week's episode, Cyberwar. What is Australia's place in the world of digital warfare? What are the implications for the NBN?
  • Array Is wholesale-only backhaul just a pipedream?
    The potential acquisition of Pipe Networks by SP Telemedia has raised the question about whether vertically integrated backhaul providers will mean higher wholesale prices for ISP customers.
  • More blogs »

Tags

Back to top

Featured