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Johannesburg - More reports of a phishing scam that targets Standard Bank customers and users of the rewards programme UCount have emerged.
On Friday, Fin24 reported that an email scam, which pretends to be from Standard Bank, is doing the rounds.
READ: Phishing scam targets Standard Bank customers
The email uses the address ‘ibsupport@standardbank.co.za’ and ‘informs’ customers that they’ve earned over 60 000 UCount points.
Customers are then prompted to click on a link to redeem the points, which are said to equate to over R6 000.
However, users are instead redirected users to a fake Standard Bank website link where they are prompted to enter key information such as credit card numbers.
An official at the bank’s financial crime control unit told Fin24 that the bank would never send out an email to ask users to enter their log in details and that customers need to be aware of the scam.
But since Fin24 reported on the scam, more Standard Bank customers have come forward to tell of their experiences with a similar phishing email.
Fin24 user Eva wrote:
“I am a Standard Bank client and have been receiving this UCount email for quite some time, have always deleted it as I don't use the UCount reward system but it is annoying.”
Fin24 user Perry said, “Yes, I received the mail, and deleted it immediately. The best protection I have found is to not react to any bank email, with a link, as in my opinion they are all scams.”
However, it seems as if users are not only receiving phishing emails but also phone calls regarding the UCount scam.
Fin24 user Dee wrote:
“I had several calls asking if I had a UCount card in which the callers tried to explain how it works. They said they would be phoning me for details in 3 days time.....to which I always said that I would like them to send me an email....and if I was interested then I would call in at my local bank and register for one. Is there a place where we can send the phone numbers that they used....or do they change them all the time?”
Meanwhile, even people who aren’t Standard Bank customers have been receiving the UCount phishing email.
Fin24 user Nick wrote:
“I have been targeted and I'm not even a Standard bank client. I forwarded the email I received to Standard Bank, which was for the same amounts as shown in the article.”
Fin24 user Viv has also encountered the UCount phishing scam.
“I got the mail. My first thought was; if I was eligible for this reward, why did they not just credit my account? Secondly, although I have a Standard Bank credit card, I’m not registered for internet banking.
“I deleted the mail immediately,” wrote Viv.
