Hoax emails – be aware
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) regularly receives enquiries from members of
the public in relation to hoax emails which circulate on the internet.
Many of these emails are harmless nuisances or spam, but some are scams
designed to trap the unwary. In addition, some emails may contain malicious
software such as viruses and spy ware.
Some common hoax email enquiries received by the AFP include:
1. The reverse PIN number email
This hoax email claims that police will automatically be notified if you enter your
PIN number backwards into a bank’s Automatic Teller Machine (ATM), in the
event that you are held up at an ATM.
2. The Osama Bin Laden capture email
This hoax email purports to be a warning message about a destructive virus that
causes computer systems to crash if users open an email containing pictures
of Osama Bin Laden.
These email messages, and others like them, are hoaxes.
They should be ignored,
deleted and not forwarded to others.
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