27 November 2007
A wave of scam emails and bogus mailshots is being expected by banks and security experts. This follows the recent loss of the personal data of 25 million people.
It is feared that should the data fall into the wrong hands the most damaging attack could come in the form of fake direct mail campaigns. These campaigns could possibly be conducted over several years.
One executive from a large high street bank stated:
They could post leaflets that appear to come from a customer’s bank, would be able to quote an account number, be correctly addressed and could invite recipients to phone a fake call centre to apply for, say, a special offer. Once you call, they ask for your password - and bingo.
Even if the data does not reach the criminal domain, e-mail con-artists are expected to tap into an increased public fear of ID theft. Experian, Britain’s largest credit-rating agency, said yesterday that the number of visits to its website had doubled. It expects a surge of fake “phishing” e-mails that play on such concerns by asking customers to update security details in the hope of stealing them.
Keep up to date with industry and Nomensa news by signing up to Nomensa newsletters.
