Some common ways through which a cybercriminal tries to trick someone include sending a scam email. A specific one that a number of Australians come across is the one that states ‘Received Reset BigPond Password’. This doesn’t actually come from BigPond and makes itself appear to be from Telstra. The aim here is to hack your details, starting from your email’s password to your financial passwords. Here’s how you can spot this and other similar emails and take action against them.
How Does a Fraudster Manipulate While Sending an Unsolicited Email?
In this case, a BigPond password reset email most probably would state that your account’s password has either been changed or one has to authorize the change that has not been made so far. Even this email can appear to be real because the register of Telstra has a logo, and their imagination and professionalism are also good. Also, one of these links may say that you wanted to cancel the change: ‘Cancel this change’ or it may say ‘Confirm this change.’ Clicking on these links is risky because instead, it can take you to a ‘spoofed’ website, and this article is the deal for every valuable information you have.
How to Spot a Scam Email
As a first step, examine the email closely for any indications that it is forged or not genuine. Pay close attention to the sender’s email. All legitimate BigPond emails have a specific Telstra address, for example, @telstra.com. If the email is sent from an odd email address, it’s probably forged.
Keep an eye out for any email that has characteristic signs of carelessness, such as spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes. Scammers are known to issue threats and slogans, stating, for example, “If you do not do this immediately, your account will be disabled.” This technique is frequently employed to urge you to perform the operation.
Where to Report a Scam Email Like This One
If you think that the email is fraudulent, do not click any of the links/buttons in that email. In addition, delete that email as soon as possible. If you are in doubt about its authenticity, just type the address of the official Telstra website in the address bar of your browser to log into your BigPond account. Address any links indicated in the email.
In addition, you are able to reach Telstra customer care support if you have questions about whether your account has any problems. They can check and tell you whether the email was authentic or whether it was a spoof.
What Happens If You Clicked a Link?
A BigPond account is vulnerable if you clicked on a link in the scam email. So, go ahead first and change your BigPond account password immediately, especially if you had the same password registered for any other accounts as well. Monitor your bank transactions and contact your bank regarding any discrepancies.
Stay Away from Fraud
The Received Reset BigPond Password is also one of those scams and could be very well executed. As such, while on the surface level it may seem apparent, the focus is to make people remain vigilant, and it’s possible to outsmart the scammers. Needless to say, common sense prevails. It must be highlighted that one must access an email account, including its links and attachments, using strong passwords and with due verification.