BigPond “Internal Authentication Error”; Phishing Scam Email
The original site is no longer online; links go to the Internet Archive copy.
The claim
Email purporting to be from Australian Internet Service provider BigPond claims that due to an “Internal Authentication Error” your account will be deleted and closed within 10 hours. The email explains that you can stop the pending account closure by following instructions included in an attached file.
Internal Authentication ErrorHello User,Inbox and Sent FoldersWe will delete & Close Your Account Within 10 hours
You need to confirm this request or we will continue with the request.
If you think it is an error, take action immediately to stop this process.
Download attached instructions manual
Thank You
Bigpond Email 2017
What the fact-checkers found
The email is not from BigPond and the “Internal Authentication Error” claim is untrue. And, your account is not set to be closed.
In fact, the email is a phishing scam designed to steal your Telstra account login details. If you open the attached file, a seemingly innocuous PDF will open. The PDF has the title “BigPond User Manual” along with some random, non-English text and a generic PDF icon. But, clicking anywhere in the document opens a fake Telstra BigPond login page on a fraudulent website. If you provide your Telstra account login details on the fake page, you will then be automatically redirected to the genuine Telstra website.
Meanwhile, the criminals can use the stolen credentials to hijack your Telstra account.
Telstra and BigPond customers are regularly targeted in such phishing attacks. Be wary of any message that purports to be from Telstra or BigPond and claims that you must open an attachment or click a link to rectify a supposed account issue.
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