The most recent phishing attempts were identified very early, thanks to the protection software Rapport, which we provide free to users of our South African Internet banking service.

We have shut down yet another fraudulent website but users please remain vigilant and be careful of these emails. The emails look very real and often the links read “standardbank.co.za”. These links are in fact “masked” URLs.

How do you recognize a “masked” URL? The safest way is to right click on the link and select “edit hyperlink,” the true hyperlink sitting behind it (standardbank.co.za) will be revealed. You will see that the root domain of this link will actually take you to a destination that has nothing to do with us.

For your own safety, never click on anything that asks you to update your banking details or give any personal information. We will never ask for this information over the phone or online.

Read more about safeguarding yourself against phishing here: http://www.blog.standardbank.com/blog/standard-bank-team/2010/04/safegua...

For more about the Rapport software available free to users of our South African Internet banking service, see: http://www.standardbank.com/Article.aspx?id=35312619&src=m2010_34385466