The internet’s slippery Steves are at it again with another email scam, so add this to your already long list of dodgy shit to look out for.
This time, the scammers are targeting your power bills, sending out some incredibly convincing fake bills to consumers across the country. Posing as Origin Energy, the email is set out like your normal bill, right down to the company’s actual logo and link to view and pay.
Of course, that link is fake as hell and will infect your computer with malware and/or funnel your payment straight into their stinking wallets. Joisus.
The email came from servers located in France and hit Australian inboxes around 8:30am Wednesday morning. As always, there are ways you can identify the fraudulence.
For starters, the sender’s email address will be different to the one your bills usually come from. This one in particular has the domain “originenergysolar.net”, which was only recently registered in China.
The 1300 number on the bill doesn’t have anything to do with Origin, either. It’s registered to a recycling business in Pinewood, Victoria.
What I’m getting at here is if you think you might have received a dodgy bill, compare it to a past one. Is the price way off? Is the sender’s email or any other details different? Has it arrived outside of your normal billing cycle?
These kinds of attacks rely on complacency to succeed. They generally go all-in on aesthetic to trick those not paying enough attention and once the jig is up, they’ll disappear pretty quickly. Hard and fast is their aim here, whether it’s to get your money or your personal details.
If you receive an email from a provider you’re not actually with, delete it straight away. Don’t even open that shit and above all else, don’t click on any links, because it’s those links that will infect your system.
According to the ACCC, Australians made 14,634 reports of false billing in 2016, losing a cringeworthy $659,835 to scummy internet assholes. Email turned out to be the most successful method, with those aged 25 to 34 losing the most cash.
Stay safe on the World Wide Web, folks.
Source & Photo: The Age.
