Email Fraud Alert received from: Don
I recently received an email with this subject line: Update of department database and I am concerned that it could be an attempt at defrauding me. Let me know in the comments section what you think, please.
The full contents of the suspected fraudulent (phishing / scamming) e-mail appear below:
To the Human resource/ Director [REMOVED],
I have written to inform you about the ongoing update of the department of
rural development and land reforms and we are asking companies to send us
there updated information of there BEE certificates, registration number,
VAT number and any other relevant documents. You can reply via this email.
Kind regards
Sandra Masego
The above email was sent by “Sandra Masego” from this email address: sandra.masego@drdllr-org.co.za
I, Don, have the following thoughts/comments on this suspected fraudulent email message from “Sandra Masego”:
This ‘Sandra’ phoned me on my mobile to get these details. I asked her to rather e-mail me as I thought that it was a scam so allowed her to ‘hear’ a fake e-mail address. No problem to ‘Sandra’ who phoned me back to confirm the e-mail when it bounced.
Examine the domain for the e-mail address closely: www.drdllr-org.co.za – THIS is NOT an official government address and at the time of writing was registered on 21 November 2016 to PETER MORGAN with a physical address given as 167 Branficher, Randburg, 2195, Johanessburg, ZA and telephone number: +27.818968376 attached to this email: petersonmorgan703@gmail.com hosted on cdns1.hkdns.co.za and cdns2.hkdns.co.za.
hkdns.co.za is in turn registered to A ARNOLD of 82 Voortrekker Road, Goodwood, Cape Town, Western Cape, 7460, ZA with telephone number: +27.0215913525
NO GOVERNMENT contacts at all so HIGHLY likely that this is a phishing scam.
Consider also that UNLIKE a government department ‘Sandra’ is NOT very specific and just asks for; “…any other relevant documents”.