Emails are circulating claiming to be bill notifications from Vodafone and suggesting that the bill is ‘a bit more than usual’.
It then states your bill is approaching £600 this month and says that the attached file contains ‘more information’.
The email is not from Vodafone and the attached file if opened contains malware designed to harvest personal and financial information from the computer. If you receive this email delete it without opening the attached file.
If you receive any unsolicited email seemingly from a bank or other institution that asks you to click a link and provide sensitive personal information, or open a document, then you should view the message with the utmost suspicion. It is highly unlikely that a legitimate institution would request sensitive information in such a way.
What to do if you receive a suspected Phishing Scam email
- DO NOT click on any links in the scam email.
- DO NOT supply any personal information of any kind as a result of the email
- DO NOT reply to the email or attempt to contact the senders in any way.
- DO NOT supply any information on the bogus website that may appear in your browser if you have clicked a link in the email.
- DO NOT open any attachments that arrive with the email
- REPORT the phishing scam (see below).
- DELETE the email from your computer as soon as possible.
What you can do to protect yourself against Malware
- Always use legitimate antivirus software and keep it up to date: Installing reputable antivirus software is one of the most effective ways to protect yourself from malware.
- Know and understand what you are installing on a personal device: Look out for indications that you are using a secure site (with a key or padlock symbol) with the address prefix https:/ when you are paying for an antivirus package. If you’re unsure don’t make the transaction or download any software until you can obtain advice.
- Keep your firewall switched on: Firewalls can prevent access to your computer from unknown outside sources.
- If you don’t recognise the source or the sender avoid clicking on emails, text and internet popup messages
How to report Phishing e-mails
If you have received a ‘phishing’ email, text, letter or scam communication by any other method and have not lost money or clicked on any website links contained in the message, you can report this online to Action Fraud at Report Attempted Scams or Viruses. This tool will identify the most appropriate email address to forward phishing emails to for disruption, investigation and/or prevention activity.
If you have been a victim of a phishing e-mail, you should contact your financial institute, and report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
TNT phishing e-mail which contains a Virus
