The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (
ASIC) has issued a warning against scam emails purporting to be from
ASIC.
The corporate watchdog said some of its Registry customers continue to receive fake emails that appear similar to ASIC's and generally instruct recipients to click on a link or download a fake invoice. These fake emails are used by scammers to elicit payments, spread software viruses, and install spyware or malware programs for stealing personal information from ASIC customers.
“It is always important to be wary of unsolicited emails that demand payment or contain suspicious attachments or links, especially if you have never dealt with the organisation they are from,” ASIC commissioner John Price said.
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The regulator said an email will not be from ASIC and is probably a scam if it asks the receiver:
- to make a payment over the phone;
- to make a payment to receive a refund;
- to provide credit card or bank details directly by email or phone; or
- to download software for an electronic device.
ASIC also cited the following measures for helping customers protect themselves online:
- keep all anti-virus, malware, and spyware protection updated;
- avoid clicking on any suspicious links;
- ensure that there's a firewall in place and that it's up-to-date; and
- scan email attachments with security software before opening them – especially if they are executable (.exe) files or zip (.zip) files, as these are more likely to contain malware or ransomware viruses.
To make sure about the authenticity of an email, customers can visit the
ASIC website for more information.
Anyone affected by a scam can report to the ACCC via the Scamwatch '
Report a scam' page.
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