PHISHING & SPOOFING WARNING!
The clients of public authorities, corporations and professional firms are being increasingly targeted as potential victims of email scams. These scams typically form part of a “phishing” or “spoofing” overture by internet criminals.
It is advisable, whenever you receive an email purportedly emanating from an attorney, business or government agency with whom you have not had prior dealings, to take extra care and precautionary measures to confirm with a high degree of confidence the authenticity of the source of the email. Be particularly careful that you have validated the authenticity of the sender’s details before divulging any personal and specifically financial details. This may result in identity theft and financial losses.
Be particularly careful when you receive documentation purporting to inform you that you are the beneficiary of benefits, for example in a deceased estate. In such cases the criminal’s real intention might be to obtain financial details by which it can access your banking facilities or to procure payments from you to facilitate receipt of a supposed benefit.
Criminals often use fake bank, court or other seemingly official documents to lull you into a false sense of security. Be sure always to verify such apparently official documentation through trusted intermediaries with whom you have a prior relationship or whom you know you can rely on.
Definitions (with acknowledgement to South African Revenue Services):
PHISHING – Phishing is where an email is sent to a person by someone who is pretending to be a legitimate business, but they are not. Through the email they hope to obtain the person’s private and confidential information which will then be used for illegal purposes. This type of fraudulent behaviour is more commonly known in legal terms as identity theft.
SPOOFING – This is where the email header of a legitimate company will appear on a message in order that the person receiving it believes that it has originated from somewhere other than the actual source. This type of email is often sent out by spammers (notice the word spammers as opposed to scammers) in order that they get those people who they send it to as a way of trying to get them to open up or even respond to what they are trying to sell. Whereas phishing is an illegitimate method of trying to obtain a person’s personal information, with spoofing the person sending it can do so legitimately.
It is advisable, whenever you receive an email purportedly emanating from an attorney, business or government agency with whom you have not had prior dealings, to take extra care and precautionary measures to confirm with a high degree of confidence the authenticity of the source of the email. Be particularly careful that you have validated the authenticity of the sender’s details before divulging any personal and specifically financial details. This may result in identity theft and financial losses.
Be particularly careful when you receive documentation purporting to inform you that you are the beneficiary of benefits, for example in a deceased estate. In such cases the criminal’s real intention might be to obtain financial details by which it can access your banking facilities or to procure payments from you to facilitate receipt of a supposed benefit.
Criminals often use fake bank, court or other seemingly official documents to lull you into a false sense of security. Be sure always to verify such apparently official documentation through trusted intermediaries with whom you have a prior relationship or whom you know you can rely on.
Definitions (with acknowledgement to South African Revenue Services):
PHISHING – Phishing is where an email is sent to a person by someone who is pretending to be a legitimate business, but they are not. Through the email they hope to obtain the person’s private and confidential information which will then be used for illegal purposes. This type of fraudulent behaviour is more commonly known in legal terms as identity theft.
SPOOFING – This is where the email header of a legitimate company will appear on a message in order that the person receiving it believes that it has originated from somewhere other than the actual source. This type of email is often sent out by spammers (notice the word spammers as opposed to scammers) in order that they get those people who they send it to as a way of trying to get them to open up or even respond to what they are trying to sell. Whereas phishing is an illegitimate method of trying to obtain a person’s personal information, with spoofing the person sending it can do so legitimately.