Every day millions people bank online, and it is a very secure and convenient way to access your bank's services. It also pays to be on the lookout for scammers who may try and gain access to your account, usually by trying to fool you into handing over security information such as user names, passwords and memorable information.

Learn how to recognize the danger signs of online fraud. Most scams have similarities to offline schemes that have targeted consumers and investors many years before the creation of the Internet.

Phishing explained
Phishing is the name given to the practice of sending emails purporting to come from a genuine company operating on the Internet...

Trojans explained
Trojans take their name from the term 'Trojan Horse' and are a type of computer virus which can be installed on your computer without you realising...

Money Mules explained
'Money mules' or 'money transfer agents' launder funds obtained as a result of phishing and trojan scams...

Latest News

Below are latest news, scam and result in New Zealand:

FastNet News - ASB targeted with scam email Friday, 15 June 2007
ASB has become the target of a scam email. The email is targeting New Zealand Residents 18 y/o+ who have ASB Bank accounts, with offers to earn over $1000 a week. Under no circumstances should you take up this job offer. If you do take up this offer you will become involved in fraudulent activity and may be liable to prosecution. Please delete this email immediately and do not send it on to anyone. 

Any person seen to be receiving funds through a scam such as this, is considered a Money Mule or Money Transfer agent. The NZ Police state that "the law is very clear in this area. Mules involved in the handling of stolen money are committing a money laundering offence and risk prosecution. Ignorance of this is no defence."
If you have already responded to this email, please call our Contact Centre on 0800 803 804. As a result of this scam and to protect our customers, ASB's maximum Netcode limit has been reduced to $300 a day.
Information on other precautions ASB takes, as well as tips on how you can protect yourself online, can be found below and in our Security section . ASB is committed to keeping our customers up to date with security threats facing online financial services, so we'd like to remind our customers to continue being vigilant, and remember the following security tips:

• Never give your Internet banking passwords to anyone, even if you think they are from the Bank. 
• Make sure your Internet banking passwords are unique - don't use them as passwords for other services. 
• Consider reducing your Netcode limit. You can reduce this to as little as $1.00. For more information on Netcode
  click here .
• Always visit a banking website by typing in the web address. Don't click on a link. 
• Be careful about clicking on unexpected "pop-up" messages or opening email attachments from unknown sources. 
• Always make sure you keep your own PC virus protection up to date. 
• Always keep your operating system security patches up to date. 
• We strongly recommend the use of a personal firewall. 
• Be careful about where you access FastNet Classic from as other PCs, such as those at some Internet cafes, may not have up to date virus protection installed. 
• Think about the sites you are visiting or have visited. Criminals use some sites to transfer a virus to your PC which may then capture your Internet banking passwords (the risk of this is greatly reduced if your PC virus protection and firewalls are up to date).

Watch out for email scams

Spamming is the practice of sending out email messages in bulk, similar to the junk mail you may receive in your letterbox at home. Generally, spam is unsolicited as you will not have given your permission to receive such emails.

Phishing
Is the practice of sending emails that impersonate a genuine company operating on the Internet (commonly banks). This is an attempt to trick customers of that company into disclosing their personal information, such as user names and passwords.

Phishing emails will urge you to click a link to "update" or "verify" your account information. The link takes you to the bogus website where any information you enter is captured by the criminals and used for fraudulent purposes e.g. to make a withdrawal from your account.

Employment Scams
Many of us have received emails with the subject line “be your own boss” or “make money with your bank account”. These emails are sent from fictitious overseas companies looking for people to receive fraudulent money into their bank account and then forward that money on overseas.

Generally a commission will be offered to entice you and make the transaction look more legitimate. People accepting these fictitious jobs are known as “Mules”. The Mule is often unaware that the money has been stolen and therefore innocently, becomes a party to the criminal activity.

Nigerian Scams
Typically involve emails claiming to be from a government official or similar, who needs help in distributing millions of dollars from their country, in return for a percentage of the money. In other variations you may be told they are the beneficiaries of an inheritance or an investor looking to shift money overseas, discretely.

Once you agree to be party to this transaction, you are then asked to send money overseas to pay for documentation, administration or similar charges - before the fictitious money can be forwarded to your bank account.

Be Aware of Malicious Software

Malware (i.e. Malicious Software) is designed to infect a computer system without your knowledge or permission. This includes all forms of computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, adware, and other unwanted software.

The purpose of Malware can be to monitor and steal your personal details, or destroy important files and information. In some cases, infected computers can be controlled remotely and then used to send out spam email or for other illegal activities.

Computers are most commonly infected on opening harmless looking attachments in emails. However you also need to beware of downloading free software over the internet and using peer-to-peer networks to share files.

Viruses and worms
Have the specific ability to reproduce and pass on their infection to other computers over an internal computer network or the internet. Viruses often hide themselves inside other programs as they need to be opened (executed) before they can affect your computer. In contrast, Worms are self-replicating.

Trojan horses
Are malicious programs disguised as being useful, interesting or harmless software. Many people are tricked into running (installing) free software downloaded over the internet, without true knowledge of its actual purpose.

Spyware and adware
Has the specific purpose of secretly monitoring your computer activity to steal personal details, such as passwords or credit card details etc. This information can then be sent back over the internet for fraudulent purposes.

Keystroke loggers
Are another form of spyware software which specifically records each keystroke entered into your computer in an attempt to capture personal details, such as passwords or credit card details etc. Keystroke loggers can also be a small piece of hardware attached to your computer cable.

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