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posted by martyb on Monday August 31 2020, @03:23AM   Printer-friendly
from the Slow-News-Day dept.
[20200831_114056 UTC: Update: Fixed typo "Telsa". Unclear from context if typo in story submission was supposed to be Telstra (major Australian ISP) or Tesla the car, battery, and solar energy provider. Left it for you to choose. ☺ --martyb]

Do you remember the scammers who would call you up to say your computer has a virus and only they can help? Well, they're back. This time scammers are telling people their NBN[*] speed needs to be tested so they can drain their bank accounts.

Over the past six months, a new scam has been on the rise, where customers receive an email from someone posing as NBN Co, and are urged to click a link to test the speed of their connection.

With just one click, they are unwittingly giving scammers access to their computer, and through that they are able to steal banking details and other sensitive information.

Jane McNamara, head of media for NBN Co, said the thief's next move would typically be to get the customer away from their screen, giving them unmonitored remote access to the person's desktop.

Often the target will be asked to go outside and check their NBN box, or to go into another room.

In some cases, they are told radiation or harmful UV rays will come from the computer and instructed to move away from or cover the screen.

This is currently one of the top three scams related to the NBN, in addition to robocalls from 'Nicole' or 'Carol' threatening to disconnect a customer's account unless a payment is made, or a fraudulent invoice being issued.

NBN Co spokeswoman Jane McNamara said the high visibility of the NBN rollout made customers less likely to question if the company was truly trying to contact them.

The irony of this, is that NBN Co does not have the contact details for anyone connected to the service, as a person can only connect through an internet and phone provider like Telstra or Optus.

[*] NBN is a wholesale provider of internet connectivity in Australia. Wikipedia entry.

There is nothing new under the sun. Except Telsa [(Tesla)|(Telstra)], they're good.


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  • (Score: 2) by driverless on Monday August 31 2020, @08:06AM

    by driverless (4770) on Monday August 31 2020, @08:06AM (#1044512)

    There is nothing new under the sun. Except Telsa, they're good.

    What's a Telsa?

    He's referring to Telsa, Oklehoma. It's a plaice, not a thing.

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