The cybercriminal world never sleeps.
Just as 2017 begins, another new phishing scam has been uncovered - and this time, it's Vodafone customers who are most at risk.
Cyber security agency, ESET Ireland, has warned that an email, pretending to be from Vodafone, is spamming Irish mailboxes in an attempt to obtain sensitive information including: usernames, passwords, and credit cards.
"Dear Valued Customer,
Just a quick reminder that you need to pay for your Vodafone service.
Pay now to avoid service restriction or suspension. Your monthly bill for NETVIGATOR service has been issued.
We have proceeded autopay payment according to your credit card information. However, such autopay payment is not successful.
Your account is now overdue, so unless you’ve already paid in the last few days here’s what you need to do next. To check the total amount owing, please visit MyAccount
To avoid suspension of service, please settle the above amount before 04 Jan 2017.
For details regarding the payment rejection, please contact your bank directly.
It’s important that you make full payment of the outstanding amount to avoid restriction or suspension of your service. Please remember that if we suspend your service you'll need to pay a reconnection fee. We'll also apply all regular service charges until your service is cancelled.
To help you manage your services, a number of online tools are available. You can pay your bills and track your usage through MyAccount and our 24x7 App."
While the email looks convincing, all links lead to a fake website, registered in Mexico, which tricks the user into submitting their account info and payment details.
"If you have received such an email, flag it as spam and delete it. Do not click any of the links in it. Read more on our blog. You can find official Vodafone advice on phishing at their website.
"These sorts of scams are just some of the threats we can expect in 2017", said Urban Schrott of ESET Ireland.
For more information on how you can avoid such scams, visit ESET Ireland's blog or follow us on Facebook.
