Phishing. Don’t take the bait.

Phishing is one of the most common scams out there.

So it is important that you don’t get caught. This type of attack usually happens when a scammer contacts you pretending to be from a legitimate business such as a bank, a charity or government. The scammer then asks you to provide or confirm personal details. A scammer may contact you through email, phone, social media or text.

For example, the scammer may say that they are calling from Defence Bank and are verifying your customer record due to a technical error. Or they may send you an email with a link directing you to a fake website asking you to login to your account.

Tip: Defence Bank will NEVER ask for your username or password over email, phone, social media or text.

Look out for…

• Look out for poor spelling, punctuation and grammar.
• Look for a mismatch between the sender’s name and their email address. For example, if sender’s name is Brenna Morris but the address is bmor$is@gmol.com, it’s likely not to be genuine.
• Check the website address to make sure it is the address you normally use and the details on the website are the same.
• Pay attention to your email client's warning, e.g. some suspect emails will be flagged with a warning message at the top of the screen.
• You notice new icons on your computer screen or your computer isn’t running as fast as it normally would.

How you can prevent a phishing scam.

• Do not click on any links or open attachments from emails that ask you to verify your details especially if they are from your bank. Just press delete.
• If you are unsure of an email, do a quick internet search using names or exact wording of the email or message to check for any reference to a scam.
• Look for the green lock symbol in your browser address bar and check that it displays the company it claims to be.
• Never provide your personal, credit card or online account details if you receive a call claiming to be from your bank or any other organisation. Instead ask for their name and contact number so you can make an independent check for yourself.

I think I have been scammed.

If you know or think you have been scammed, contact Defence Bank immediately to organise a temporary block on your accounts. After this, change your passwords and stay alert for any further malicious activity to your accounts.

Have any questions? We've got the answers. See our FAQs.