Five arrested in internet banking scam

German police have arrested five men accused of phishing, the new form of fraud that has swept the internet in recent months, and said the thieves had scooped EUR 30,000 from victims' bank accounts.

Prosecutors in Bonn said they were looking for a sixth person who helped send out tens of thousands of official-sounding spam mails aimed at tricking people into revealing their secret personal identity numbers.

The attack was aimed at the 11.5 million customers in Germany of Deutsche Postbank, many of whom are registered for online banking.

Phishing attacks usually steer victims to a fake online banking site that

is practically indistinguishable from the real one. The victim is fooled into typing in the secret password.

The German group also infected computers with a "trojan" program that let the fraudsters eavesdrop whenever the computer established the typical network connections needed for online banking. This enabled them to intercept secret transaction numbers.

DPA

Related Internet Articles

• DSL Internet service grows
  17 December 2004



• Mexico Warms Up to Voice Over Internet Service
  17 December 2004



• Record Industry Sues 754 for Internet Song Swaps
  17 December 2004



• Internet Telephone Shipments Reflect Emerging VoIP Market
  17 December 2004



• Canadas drug-price controls could be casualty of Internet pharmacy
  17 December 2004



• eLot Wins New Patent for Internet Sale of Lottery Tickets
  15 December 2004



• Companies slow to use Internet for online business OECD
  15 December 2004



• Internet Security Systems Preemptively Protects Customers From Vulnerability
  14 December 2004



• Internet America Reports First Quarter 2005 Earnings
  14 December 2004



• Internet Gold to Acquire Remaining Share of GoldTrade
  14 December 2004

#1 - HostGator

Unlimited Domain Hosting Only $10 a Month Founded in 2002, Hostgator.com, LLC has quickly grown from its humble beginnings in Boca Raton, Florida into one of the most respected names in the web hosting industry. Renowned for exceptional customer support and unrivaled in terms of customer satisfaction, Host Gator is poised to take the lead in the highly competitive and densely populated world of web hosting providers. For more information! Click Here

#2 - 1&1 Internet Inc.

Got Root?! 1&1 Dedicated Servers starting at $99 mo. We guarantee the highest product quality, top security, and unshakeable reliability. 1&1’s advanced Data Centers have been built from the ground up using the most advanced technology available, giving our global network a strength that is beyond doubt. The power and stability of 1&1’s systems allows us to be first to market with web products that are innovative yet dependable. For more information! Click Here

#3 - ServerPronto

Get a full dedicated server starting at just $29.95! ServerPronto is a dedicated hosting subsidiary of Infolink, one of a few profitable Data Center Corporations in the world. From it's beginning in January 1999, Infolink served the "Value Orientated" segment of the Internet market. Not by offering a sub-standard product at a low price, but by offering a top-quality, feature rich product at an incredible price. Since the beginning Infolink has enjoyed dramatic growth while other's in the industry have suffered. We operate our own network in the USA and maintain redundant Fiber Optic Rings which allow us to directly peer with Tier 1 Internet Backbones. For more information! Click Here