Information Technology

Phishing Text Messages

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in phishing messages. Phishing is a form of fraud in which an attacker masquerades as a reputable person or an organisation to steal user data such as login details or credit card numbers.

Below is an example of an SMS attacker claiming to be from LinkT (eg. Citylink), where you are presented with a link to log in to pay an outstanding toll account. To the right of the SMS screenshot, is an image of the website from that text message, where you can enter any details, and it will allow you to progress to the next screen as this is not a legitimate website where it will verify your details with the real database.

Tips

• Always check the website to verify it is legitimate by contacting the company directly. Do not use the numbers or email provided in the messages!

• Google search the text message or the number as it is likely that others have also encountered the message and have reported it.

• If you have supplied your personal information, contact your bank or the business in question to suspend all access immediately

• Never use the same password for multiple websites or platforms.