The ruse of the phisherman . . .

Over the years, fraudsters have shown great ingenuity in parting people from their money - but the digitally-savvy cyber crook is a menace as smart as those who try to thwart him.

"Phishing" - getting people to hand over their details online - is big business . . . and it isn't the uninformed that are being caught. Even while banks, particularly, send notices regularly suggesting clients never follow links in e-mails, the e-mails themselves are so convincing in design and content that people still fall for the scam. They contain the organisation's logo and everything else one would look for in "official" documentation. A user clicking on the link is led to a website that looks exactly (to the untrained eye) like that of the organisation. A few keystrokes later, your money has been removed from your account.

According to market intelligence company I-Net Bridge, one scam tells banking customers that there have been "irregular activities" occurring on their accounts and asks recipients to authenticate the activity before using their banking facilities again. Again, in minutes the account is dry.

Banks aren't the only organisations falling prey to phishing scams: SARS says a number of South African nationals have received e-mails spoofing the agency. The mail is sent from return@sars.co.za, saying that a tax reimbursement is due. A link is provided for making the claim - and cons taxpayers into furnishing their personal details.

Online security expert Symantec recently warned of an expected rise in phishing scams leading up to the FIFA 2010 World Cup, suggesting that cyber criminals would likely increase activity. Symantec spokesperson Candid Wueest warns: "This [phishing] can not only land fans with useless counterfeit tickets, but also lead to the theft of their credit card details and fund organised crime. Analysis of spam and phishing attacks around major events in the past has shown an increase in such themed attacks."

As local marketers keep abreast of the massive opportunities offered by the online and mobile arenas, it's vital that they do what they can to help their clients protect users. The basic message should be: Never open files from sources you don't know; never "friend" someone you don't know on social networking sites; never follow a link in an e-mail, even if it looks like it comes from your bank, SARS or Telkom . . .