This week a phishing scam is in the disguise of an alleged payout by Outsurance of a R400 premium, is circulating. Now if you are an Outsurance member, then this scam can fool you, but there are a number of telltale points that will reveal this mail to be a scam:
- So-called branding (with an Outsurance Logo and a Sender that looks like it comes from Outsurance) are easily counterfeited.
- Outsurance has most of your details if you are a client and the salutation will always be your name and never just “Dear Client”.
- Outsurance does not use Dropbox to deliver ANY documents. They will always use their own systems and usually send PDF documents after informing you via e-mail AFTER calling you personally and confirming some personal details.
- Outsurance will have a registered contact e-mail address on their system, but they will never ask for your e-mail password. Hopefully, you do not use your University of Stellenbosch e-mail address for as your personal contact address.
- This e-mail’s grammar is terrible. It is very unprofessional and the use of threats such as “PAYOUT will be denied if details are inconsistent/wrong” is usually a typical tactic of phishers.
- Scammers are wanting personal details and your signature. Why? So they can use it to gain access to your other accounts that have money, like bank accounts, or use your signature (that you sent them) to sign forged cheques etc.
Standard Bank South Africa recently lost R300 million in ATM fraud in Japan this week. The criminals used forged credit cards. No doubt the details on those cards were obtained using names and details that they obtained from phishing scams such as this Outsurance scam. Crime syndicates often exchange and share data they obtain amongst their fellow syndicates and use it to commit fraud.
Here is an example of the Outsurance scam mail that is circulating at the moment. We removed the “DropBox” link and the attached file for your safety.
~~~
From: OUTsurance [mailto:premium@OUTsurance.co.za]
Sent: 24 May 2016 08:45 AM
To: Recipients <premium@OUTsurance.co.za>
Subject: Claim your Outsurance R400 premium
Dear Client,
Your monthly R400 premium PAYOUT is ready. Please log in to our DropBox document file with correct Email address and Email Password registered with us to confirm details. PAYOUT will be denied if details are inconsistent/wrong. Download, print and sign the forms, attach and email back to us for payment to be effected.
OUTsurance premium PAYOUT
Thank you.
© 2015 OUTsurance Insurance Company Limited and OUTsurance Life Insurance Company Limited A Member of the Rand Merchant Insurance Holdings (RMI) Group and an Authorised Financial Services Provider FSP (896)
[ARTICLE BY DAVID WILES]
