Natwest Scam

[Dizmo]

Warning to all Natwest customers. There is an email circulating with the Subject heading "Online Services Disable" from customerservice@nat***tsecure.com.

The www.natwest.com link posted in the email actually forwards through another server so don't click it.

Natwest will never contact you via email to ask you to update your details.

The email goes as follows:

Dear Valued Customer,

This is your official notification that the service(s) listed below will be deactivated and deleted if not renew immediately.Previous notifications have been sent to the Billing Contact assigned to your account.

As the Primary Contact, you must renew the service(s) listed below:

SERVICE: NatWest Online Banking and Card Reader services.
EXPIRATION: 24hours

What you need to do:


1. Log in to your account now at www.natwest.com, by clicking the URL.
2. Enter your user ID and Password (that you selected during the online enrollment process).
3. Enter the requested information and your NatWest Online Banking services will be renew.

Please do not reply to this message. For questions, please call Customer Service at the number on the back of your card. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Sincerely,

Stewart Allen
Chief Marketing Officer
NatWest Online Banking & Card Reader Services.


Just thought I'd let you all know.

[Mamyalynne]

Warnings about these scams are always welcome Diz.

[Psybbo]

Thank you Diz

[Hopkirk]

I had one once pretending to be from RBS.

Only trouble was they typed it as Ryoal Bank of Scotland

[Old_Geezer]

I think NatWest may have hoped you would phrase the title differently though.

[chrissa1]

I keep getting ones from Amazon asking me to verify a purchase I have supposedly made. I haven't, so just bin them.

[Dizmo]

If ever unsure either ring the bank and ask them or open up your web browser and type www.nwolb.com directly into the address bar and log in from there. Natwest will never ask you to type your full pin and password in either so you know there is a problem then. Nor will they ever ask for your card number and 3 digit security number on the reverse of the card.

[Dizmo]

Old_geezer: Possibly but I think it grabs more attention this way.

[jno]

on the rare occasion businesses do contact you by email they'll use your actual name. Scamming robots can't, as not everyone uses actual names in their addresses. So they just say things like "Dear Valued Customer" instead, which is generally a good tip-off.

[Hopkirk]

I have a simpler solution - I never respond to an e mail from the bank, whether it is genuine or not.

[Dizmo]

Nor do I Hopkirk but I do try and make them and other people aware though. I've contacted the bank already and given them the details.

Other 'scams' that require my input I reply to them and make it look like I'm reeled in. I've already wasted someones time with regards to the long living old "I'm from *random country* and I've inherited $10,000,000 and want to share it with you.

And the buyers scam where you receive an email from someone saying they wish to buy an item (usually electronical goods or jewellery). They then send a fake email from paypal saying the funds have been sent. Once you give them the tracking number to a 'collection' address in albania they then collect it and you've lost your goods and have no money. I had someone panicing when I told them I was a scientist and I'd accidently sent radioactive goods instead and I'd got a team of disposal experts on route to the address.

There are quite a few scammers located in the UK and I've reported one to the police before but they refuse to do anything without proof. Well I'm sorry but I'm not going to send valuable goods to a scammer just to get 'proof'.

[sidkid]

"I reply to them and make it look like I'm reeled in."
Possibly one of the biggest mistake that people make. A 'live' email address is quite valuable to the bad guys...

[237SJ]

And on the subject of fraud, you should change your log in password for internet banking monthly. I never have but I will now after a friend of mine had her account hacked and lost several thousand pounds. She is always really careful and never clicks on anything that she`s not sure about. Apparently, the hackers watch the account for a couple of months and then steam in for the kill. They money went to a UK bank account - it wasn`t something that was happening in Nigeria etc.

[Dizmo]

sidkid: Please be more specific when you refer to an email address as 'live'.

[Dizmo]

It is possible if a link is sent to a person to send a trojan which communicates with the 'attacker' (generally a server, if they're smart). This trojan can then sit on the host computer. If the 'hacker' then loaded a piece of custom build software onto the host computer logging keystrokes and took screen shots during every connection to port 80 then it would be possible over time to get someones password and pin number. Most banks -HSBC that require the calculator (barclays can be accessed by a pin and pass instead of pinsentary) could be subject to this attack although most computers nowadays have Antivirus software installed.

[Dizmo]

sidkid: I can only assume by live you mean an email address I use as a correspondence for other accounts such as Ebay, Paypal, AnswerBank etc?

Our you could be assuming that by live you mean an email address that has responded. The only threat would be if it were still possible to ghost fake email addresses.

I'm intriged to hear your response :)

[james412]

I had phishing emails aimed at Lloyds and HSBC customers last month.

[Dizmo]

james: off topic but that avatar is one scary bloody thing.

[boxtops]

I get these all the time from different banks (mostly ones I haven't got an account with). All the banks have a phishing report email address, so I forward them to that, then delete it all.

[zebo]

I never open an email attachment from a bank.