E-mail scammers hit Westpac customers again

By ADAM BENNETT

Westpac Bank is warning its internet banking customers that they are again being targeted by fraudsters hoping to gain their banking details by directing them to a bogus website.

Westpac spokesman Paul Gregory said the bank had discovered early this afternoon that some of its customers were receiving an e-mail containing a link which took them to a fake Westpac website. The customers are asked to enter their details and password on the site "which looks pretty convincing".

Mr Gregory said Westpac or any other bank "would never send out an e-mail like that asking for details, that just doesn't happen".

He said Westpac had posted a fresh warning on its website.

Mr Gregory said it appeared the scam was directed at Australian Westpac customers as the fake website was for Westpac Australia.

In early November 350 New Zealand Westpac customers revealed their passwords after receiving similar emails. The fake website was later traced to Russia. No Westpac customers lost any funds as a result of the previous scam.

Mr Gregory said it was too early to tell where the latest scam had originated.

A similar e-mail scam hit customers of the Commonwealth Bank, which owns ASB Bank, in Australia last year.

Earlier this week a Westpac customer had $3000 illegally removed from their account after inadvertently downloading a "Trojan horse" computer program which recorded their internet banking details and password and then forwarded them to criminals overseas.

The fraudsters subsequently transferred the money to another New Zealand account before the money was transferred to an overseas account.

- NZPA