It is possible to receive emails that look authentic and that link to authentic-looking websites but are actually faked (this is called spoofing). These emails and websites are designed to trick you into divulging your personal financial details, and this type of malicious behaviour is called phishing. Wikipedia has a lot more information if you're interested.
Slingshot will never ask you for confirmation of your security details or password via email.
What do I do if I receive a phishing email?
- Don't reply to it,
- Delete it.
When you receive emails, it is very important to check and confirm where the email was sent from. This is especially important when you receive emails asking for personal details such as your username and password, or your credit card details.
A lot of emails will have look like they come from a trusted source, like your bank, but if you look at the actual address of the sender, you'll see it isn't safe at all! Some emails will look very close to authentic, so be careful.
How do I spot a phishing attempt?
- Terrible spelling & grammar
- Asking you for your username & password, or your bank account or credit card details
- Incorrect logo, or branding for a company
- For example, an email that says it's from ASB bank, but the logo is wrong
- Asking for your details to help you reset your password, and you haven't asked for this.
- The website address for the company isn't correct
- For example, ASB's website is https://asb.co.nz. If the address doesn't match this, it might not be the genuine website.
How to stay safe online
- Google has a great Safety Centre, where you can learn more about staying safe online.
- A NZ site called The Orb has a section for reporting email scams.
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