Viruses are believed to be behind a spate of phishing cases in which personal computers displayed deceptive messages to users trying to visit the websites of three major banks, according to police sources.
The Metropolitan Police Department and other authorities suspect that viruses were the cause of the problems, in which fake pages of online banking websites were displayed to trick users into inputting their personal identification numbers and other personal information. The police believe the scheme was a new method of so-called phishing and are investigating what damage may have been caused.
According the sources, the police found several cases of phishing that involved the online sites of the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Japan Post Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. The police looked into the cases after being notified by the banks and other people concerned. They discovered the fake pages displayed only on PCs that had been infected with viruses.
When the police tried to access the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ’s banking website on the infected computers, such messages as “An error was detected” were displayed.
The screen then displayed a page that prompted users to input their PIN number and other personal data. The bank has warned its account holders that their information could be abused if they input their data into the fake websites.