Beware of fake bills and phishing scams targeting Telstra customers

Some of our customers may have received phishing (fake) emails to try to trick them into clicking on false links that either contain malicious software, or take them to a page to pay their bill that is not genuine.
Blair Adamson · 16 May 2018 · 2 minute read

Scams have been around for years, reinventing themselves to trick you into surrendering your personal details.

What are phishing scams?

These types of scams have been around for years, reinventing themselves and are sadly common place across the globe. The latest variants of this scam attempt to either:

  • mimic a Telstra bill that, when recipients click the ‘view bill’ button, sends them to a malicious site, or
  • direct recipients to a fake but realistic looking Telstra login page in an attempt to then capture their credit card details and personal information

Any attempt to deceive our customers with false information is very concerning for Telstra. Call these scams by any name you want, but at the end of the day, they are designed to steal and trick you into surrendering your personal details, take control of your computer or launch malicious software (malware) which could steal your sensitive information.

We are reminding customers to be vigilant. It is also important to note that, while these kinds of scams have evolved over time, the tips on how to protect yourself remain the same:

  • Listen to your gut. If you encounter something unsolicited, unexpected, too good to be true, or coercive, or anything that asks for personal or financial information, double and then triple check it by asking others, calling up the organisation on its official number or searching online for any background information on the sender or offer.
  • Beware of unsolicited requests for sensitive information- don’t open attachments or click on embedded links in emails or sites you don’t know or trust.
  • Pay close attention to the sender’s email address and any links in emails for anything that doesn’t look legitimate.
  • Never respond to a request for personal information in an unexpected email or pop-up.
  • Make sure you always apply the latest updates to all your devices and software.
  • If a phishing email contains a Telstra account number, check that the number corresponds with the account number on your previous bill.

You can also check the Australian Government’s Scamwatch for widespread scams. In this space, it pays to be a bit suspicious.

Using these tips will help keep you safe from scammers. At Telstra, our team of hundreds of cyber security experts will also continue to help stop these scam emails before they get to you where possible, and continue to work to try to help keep you safe online.

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By Blair Adamson

Cyber Influence Manager

Blair leads Telstra’s Cyber Influence team and has extensive experience across government, intelligence and private industry, having worked in various senior management advisory roles in the Department of Defence, the Australian Signals Directorate and the SANS Institute. Blair believes that cyber security is as much about people as it is about technology and, as Telstra’s Cyber Influence Manager, sets the direction on delivering innovative programmes designed to foster a strong cyber security culture. Blair was also responsible for leading the application of Telstra’s Five Knows of Cyber Security across the enterprise.

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