Several BNU clients received an email claiming their accounts had been suspended due to security reasons. Like most phishing scams, this email suggested a link that would redirect clients to another webpage, asking them to log in and provide personal account details. The chief of the marketing and public relations department of BNU, Armindo Vaz, confirmed that, so far, “none of the clients who received the email were affected.”
He told Macau Daily Times, “this is a basic, common and frequent scheme,” which affects “not only BNU but every other bank” from time to time. Emphasizing that this is “an ordinary reality”, he guaranteed that, so far, none of the clients had fallen into the trap.
This week, at least two different types of phishing emails were sent to BNU clients. The Portuguese newspaper, “Ponto Final”, reported yesterday that some clients had been notified regarding the need to validate their home-banking service. This was communicated through the email address, akida@citech.net, which was signed by an alleged bank officer called Liu Sook. Macau Daily Times knows that other clients were notified in a slightly different manner, by receiving an email stating that their account had been “updated with a new security enhancement”. The email said that for security matters the account had been temporarily suspended and that the client should follow the given link to “complete the online verification”. This message was sent through the email address, info@bnu.com.mo.
BNU uses the services of the local telecommunications company CTM. Contacted by The Times, CTM stated that so far “no enquiry or complaint” had been filed with regards to this particular phishing case. The company did not have further information on the origin of the scam or if any other bank was targeted. Emphasizing that this is a very “common case”, CTM’s source guaranteed that if any complaint is filed, they will refer the case to the authorities.
Through phishing schemes, hackers try to acquire the personal information of bank clients – such as usernames, passwords and credit card details – pretending to represent a trustworthy entity. The origin of phishing scams dates back to the 80s but it became more wide spread around 1995.
BNU reported the case to the Judiciary Police for further investigation and the webpage suggested in the email has been blocked. Bank websites usually alert clients to this type of electronic fraud and emphasize that banks never ask for personal details via email. Staff reporter