Telstra warns of scam BigPond email

Aug 26, 2010 3:26 PM
Filed under Security

Offers customers ability to dob in a hoax.

Telstra has warned customers not to be fooled by a phishing email purporting to be from BigPond and asking for personal details.

The telco issued a general alert today, "following reports of an email scam claiming to be from BigPond".

"Telstra and BigPond will never send an email requesting passwords, account verification, credit card details or other personal details by asking you to 'click on a link'," the telco's internet trust and safety officer Darren Kane said.

"You should only provide this type of information in response to an expected request or one you have initiated."

The telco set up a page where it said customers could "report hoax emails that appeared to be from Telstra or BigPond."

4 comments in this discussion

"considering that I am on a mac, the garbled content of the messages - random words or characters makes it easy for me to identify spam. one of the benefits of lotus notes on a foreign o/s."

By peterhau

Tags

telstra, scam, email, bigpond, phishing

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Comments: 4

FLashy Aug 27, 2010 2:32 AM	Years ago I followed up a email scammer to a site in Germany, I managed to find a text file with a 100 or so user names and passwords. All were from Westpac bank customers, so I sent all the details to the Westpac support, they never replied, probably never believed anyone would send hoax emails. No I get 5 a day from banks and companies I have never heard of ......
Lebowski Aug 27, 2010 11:18 AM	I spent an hour with the Bigpond 'security team' in the PI last night trying to establish where and/or who these emails were really coming from, and what the consequences might be if the gullible clicked on the link. The agent didn't really know - just assuring me that is was definitely not from Bigpond (as if I didn't know that already) and wanting me to send screen shots to them. Here's the text from the bait message: "Your Online BigPond account is blocked! Due to the unusual number of invalid login attempts on your account, we had to believe that, their might be some security problem on your account. So we have put an extra verification process to ensure your account security. Please click on continue to the verification process. It is all about your security Thank you." followed by a spoofed https://signon.bigpond.com.login"
johnpro2 Aug 31, 2010 1:15 PM	It can often be difficult to tell real sites from the fakes ones sometimes. The standard warning signs are requests for personal details or money or messages that your PC is infected by a virus. Jp
peterhau Sep 2, 2010 5:19 PM	considering that I am on a mac, the garbled content of the messages - random words or characters makes it easy for me to identify spam. one of the benefits of lotus notes on a foreign o/s.