ANZ and NAB customers targeted in SMS phishing scam

By Roisin Kelly-Goldsmith · · 2 min read
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A government media operation has warned mobile banking users of a “persistent and sophisticated SMS phishing campaign” underway with serious security consequences.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) issued a statement yesterday alerting the public of illegitimate SMS messages being sent to an unknown number of banking customers. The messages include phoney urls with a similar appearance to major banks’ websites.

“It appears that the criminals behind this campaign are constantly refining their messages and the associated fake imitation banking websites to increase their chance of success,” the statement read.

It’s understood the intention of these scams are to collect the banking details of unsuspecting customers who click on the illegal links.

Banks being mimicked in this elaborate scam include ANZ, NAB, St. George, Bank of Queensland, Bendigo Bank, GE Money, Heritage Bank, Macquarie Bank and Suncorp.

ACMA has been collecting information from Australians who’ve received suspicious-looking text messages and reported it. If you think you’ve become a target, notify your bank immediately and call the government hotline 0429 999 888.

Tips to stay safe from phishing scams:

- Don’t open or respond to unusual text messages with a url.

- Don’t click on hyperlinks if they look unusual. Contact your bank provider and make sure it is legitimate. 

- Be sure to choose a credit or debit card that comes with a zero liability policy, so you will be fully reimbursed against fraudulent activity in the future.

- Change your login passwords where possible and regularly, to make identity theft less likely.

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