Banking details confirmation scam

[Dave A]

Over the last two days I've seen an all out camaign against Standard Bank, Nedbank and ABSA. All in close succession.

The following is a new twist on the theme and I am rather concerned that some folk will fall for it.

SSL Server Alert

An error has occurred to our SSL server and due to this,alerts to your Cell phone will not be made.As a result of this,we would like you to change your method of alert to your email for the meantime before we restore our SSL.

Failure to do so within 5 hours of this alert might lead to inaccessibility to your account.Please we are sorry for the inconviniences this might cause you.

Log In To Your Account Now

Sincerely,

Customer Alert Dept.
(Standard Bank)

Here is where the link takes you

[URL="http://www.esc-yutz.com/mambots/search/signonmenu%5b1%5d.htm"][B][COLOR=#0000ff]Log In To Your Account Now[/COLOR][/B][/URL]

[Dave A]

A genuine email from Standard Bank.

I got a genuine email from Standard Bank today, unfortunately with all rights reserved etc. But two interesting parts I'll risk a copyright infringement lawsuit on.

1. Obviously, this is a serious issue.

This information is vital to your Internet banking security. We are therefore obliged to send this email to you as an Internet banking user, even if you have unsubscribed from receiving emails from us. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

2. Some very sage advice when it comes to online banking

To protect yourself from phishing incidents, we suggest that you adopt the following measures:

• Always access Internet banking by typing the correct URL (http://www.standardbank.co.za) into your browser.
• Never click on a link in an email that takes you to another website
• Don't enter your personal details either in the email or on the website.
• Use up-to-date antivirus software and a personal firewall. This is provided free by us to all our Internet banking customers.
• Make use of the one-time password security feature
• Be cautious if you use Internet cafés or a computer that is not your own.
• Keep your Microsoft Security up to date.

If I can add - for those using IE7, make sure you've got your phising alert feature activated.

[Debbiedle]

Interesting - what CAN they do if I have clicked "no mail" and they have an urgent/relevant warning to get to me?

[Dave A]

OK. This one is really scary, because it is sooo believable. Even the link was almost credible - I haven't included it.

Attention to all Standard Bank Customers!

Some Standard Bank customers have reported experiencing disconnect or write error issues with online banking.
To address this, Standard Bank has released a 128-bit SSL update for the online banking page that eliminates this bug.

You can update your browser from our Customer Service Department>>> *very dangerous link removed*

Standard Bank strongly recommends that all customers upgrade their browsers to this new update, regardless of whether or not they have experienced this bug.

Sincerely, Robin Pacheco.
Copyright 2008 Standard Bank

Someone is going to fall for it

[Graeme]

Does Standard Bank know about this?

[Dave A]

I'm sure they do, at least in a general way. They have sent out a warning email about phising in the past. But other than educating their clients, there is not much they can do about it.

My concern is that this phising operation seems to have got more sophisticated, both in the content of the message and in using a browser plug-in - probably a key logger. The link URL was also much slicker and more convincing than I've seen in the past.

Of course Standard Bank is not the only possible target. All other banks providing internet banking are just as vulnerable.

[Dave A]

OK. A new twist.

Imagine you get an email confirmation of a transaction on your account you didn't initiate

Automated Response: Your New Payee Has Been Added

Dear Customer,

Thank you for using Ned Online Banking, We are happy to provide you with the best online banking services and security.

This is just to inform you that your new payee has been added to your account and your payment has also been scheduled and would be sent on your specified date to the payee. As a reminder, we will also inform you as soon as the payment has been made from your account.

Please CLIC K HERE *LINK REMOVED* , to confirm that you are aware of this transaction so that we can complete the process.

Yours sincerely,

Ned Bank

If the folk behind this one ever get as good with their language and layout as they are with their imagination, there's going to be real trouble.

[Morticia]

Another pointer to a scam - it's easier to find the weapons of mass destruction than what it is to add a beneficiary onto the real nedbank site, it's simply not a "just click here" away........LOL

[Yvonne]

Long story, but potentially a R64,000 fraud on my daughters bank account.
Our daughter is in the U.S. and has no access to her bank account at all.

My daughter obtains a General Power of Attorney in favor of my husband so he can try to assist with the bank as it is impossible for her to return to South Africa for some time.
This document is testified in accordance with US law.

The bank refuse to provide any information to my husband even with the power of attorney, and insist that only their own document and only a signed original is acceptable to them to provide him with any information.

Is it possible for a bank to refuse a power of attorney, when they have the ability to verify the signature?


Thanks
Yvonne

[Dave A]

On the upside - The bank's caution could be seen as protecting your daughter's interests. It's got to be frustrating when it is a perfectly legitimate request, though.

Perhaps ask for the bank's legal department to get the issue cleared up.
I wouldn't know what you might need to do if that doesn't work - Get a court order?

[Yvonne]

The banks legal department have not returned our calls requesting assistance.

The bank manager previously agreed to e-mail to our daughter in the US, the banks own form for authorisation in order for my husband to at least obtain statements to check the account, the documents had to be couriered back (adding to our costs!), the document was duly returned, and now the bank manager says that he should never have agreed to send her the forms, and will not accept them.

Nothing, absolutely, nothing less than our daughter physically going into the branch herself, will result in the bank attempting to find out about any potential fraud.

Our daughter is due a S.A.R.S. refund which will be transferred into her bank account (no way we can prevent it!), and this too will be drawn.

It just feels as if my daughter, and my husband are hitting their heads on a brick wall!
The wasted hours at the bank are seriously frustrating.

Now my daughter will have to attempt to approach the ombudsman!
How long is that process going to take.

The banks attitude is that our daughter, who has perhaps just lost R69,000 - her entire savings, must come to the bank herself - only her own physical presence will satisfy the bank.
Should she add a R28,000 airfare (she has a son!), to come and find out her money has been stolen? and given the attitude so far, how is she going to get that back anyway?

We are not attempting to draw any funds from the account, just obtain bank statements and to stop any movement on the account, as my daughter herself has no means whatsoever to draw from the account, nor to get a statement.

My daughters specimen signature slips are missing from the branch where she opened the account.
The previous fraud which started all this concern, was attended to and the funds reversed - almost immediately, upon signing a declaration that said that no information regarding the fraud could be divulged to any party. My daughter was permitted to sort that out through e-mail!

Without question, it becomes more and more likley that there is the possibility of a further fraud, and one has to seriously question why no assistance whatsoever is being given to my daughter.

The inferrence from the bank is that there is something untoward here, but to refuse to investigate it, or to give her any opportunity to find out what has happened on her account is simply unacceptable.

They did not activate her change of address, and even refuse to permit a change of address now, as they "have no proof of her signature"!!!!

We ourselves leave for the US this week, and can do nothing further to try to assist our daughter.

Yvonne

[Dave A]

I'm just shaking my head in disbelief. This is beyond ridiculous.

A thought:
Is there no scanned signature system in place? I thought all the major banks have had this in place for ages already.

[Yvonne]

When my husband asked, he was told that the bank had "outsourced" the capturing of clients information, and for some reason the specimen signature was not there, then my husband demanded that they obtain the physical one to verify the signature on the power of attorney, then they admitted that there was no signature on record.

My husband then asked that they verify on the account application form, on documentation for previous transactions, he was stonewalled at every suggestion!

We were appalled that the bank had "outsourced" to a private company all our daughters private information!
Surely this is a breach of confidentiality between a client and his bank?
The full "fica" information handed to a "private" company, and probably taken away from the banks premises?
This particular incident brings up so many questions about our relationship with our banks.

Yvonne

[twinscythe12332]

outsourcing is the new "it" thing these days.

[Dave A]

Thinking about it, it's going to be cheaper to get a court order than to have your daughter fly out to sort out this mess. And you're in with a chance of recovering costs given all the obstruction to date...