New AusPost scam using ‘curiosity’ against victims
Australians have been warned to be alert against a new scam in which the scammers pose as Australia Post and use victims’ “sense of curiosity” against them.
Also read: ‘Hang up immediately’: New scam stealing Aussies’ bank details
Cybersecurity firm MailGuard raised the alarm this week, warning that scammers will use major brands’ names to “inspire false trust” before harvesting victims’ details.
This particular scam tells victims that they have a “shipment awaiting deliver” before telling them to confirm the payment via a link.
The link then leads victims to a fake Australia Post page asking them to fill in their details.
“Once they submit their payment details, attackers harvested them for later use, and users are led to another page prompting them to submit an SMS code,” MailGuard said.
This scam is particularly convincing as it uses the logo as well as features like a shipping code and a verification SMS that may convince victims of its legitimacy.
Additionally, the “alarming subject and body… creates a sense of curiosity and urgency”. This in turn prompts victims to quickly fill in their details without double-checking if they’re being scammed.
Signs this is a scam
However, there are a few tell-tale clues that this email isn’t really from Australia Post.
The biggest one is that the email is addressed from #AU AUSTRALIA POST.
Additionally, the user isn’t personally addressed.
This is not the first Australia Post scam of 2020, with one scam telling victims their delivery had been “stopped at our depot”.
If you’ve received this scam or another scam from Australia Post, you should email it to scams@auspost.com.au.
Australians have already lost $102 million to scams in the months to August 2020.
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