Be diligent if you receive emails, don’t invest in a scam – ANZ

ANZ has urged customers to be extra diligent if you receive an email that asks you to verify your Customer Registration Number, username, password, or PIN; asks you to fill out your personal details in exchange for a prize; asks to click on a link or open an attachment.

fijivillage News advises you to be vigilant as scammers are also making some email addresses look official although they are not from the official email account of the bank.

ANZ Regional Executive Pacific, Sarah Stubbings calls on people to always do your research before giving your details to an unsolicited caller or replying to emails offering investment opportunities or financial advice.

Stubbings also calls on customers to be alert for ‘too good to be true’ investment opportunities.

She says investment scammers will often contact a victim ‘out of the blue’, claiming to be from a legitimate organisation or financial institution with a ‘once in a lifetime’ investment opportunity.

Stubbings says scammers often have legitimate looking websites and emails and even detailed financial presentations, to help them look and sound knowledgeable.

She says these are sophisticated criminals and can be very convincing.

Stubbings calls on you to be wary of any unsolicited approach on social media, email, text or phone call; pause before responding to any request for money online, no matter how frequent or ordinary the transaction; if something doesn’t seem right, or is unexpected, question it; verify the contact details on official company websites and direct any communications through official channels; ave strong passwords to protect the security of your personal and business email accounts; double up on security by setting up two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible. This means that in addition to your password, there will be a quick second step to verify your identity, such as a text message with a unique code sent to your phone; and protect your email from spam and malicious emails by not sharing addresses online unless vital.

Stubbings also says as much as possible, people should have separate email accounts for personal and business use and set up accounts to filter and detect spam emails.

She also says we should make sure our computer is up to date with security malware protection.