Reserve Bank targeted by email scams

Nick Verhaar
Email would have to be one of, if not the, most crucial and relied-upon form of communication for millions of people all over the world.
However, not everything that arrives in your in-box can be trusted as being completely genuine, as many hoaxes are circulated throughout the Internet every day, primarily via email.
Yet another hoax has been circulating the Internet of late, disguising itself as a security warning from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and delivering itself via email.
The hoax email is mass delivered at random, and is a weak attempt to gain account numbers and personal details from account holders of the bank.
However, the RBA – which deals with monetary policy and does not issue accounts to customers – said it did not require such verification, nor was this email issued or authorised by the RBA.
The hoax email includes a subject heading with the words “verification required!” and the body of the message is as follows:
“Criminal and terrorist elements have recently increased efforts to launder money through dormant debit-oriented accounts under the identities of deceased citizens and residents.
“In accordance with new anti-terrorism legislation aimed at preventing money laundering and financing of terrorist operations the Reserve Bank is working on behalf of Australia’s financial institutions to verify customer debit cards.”
No matter how often people are warned and educated regarding the effects and ramifications of submitting personal data to hoax emails such as this, there is still a minority of people that unknowingly proceed and hand over their details.
If you happen to receive or hear of someone who has received an email such as this, it is highly advisable to ignore and delete this email upon receiving it.
If you have already submitted your personal details, it is highly likely your accounts have been compromised, and you should speak to your bank and the local police as soon as possible.