A new malicious scam is doing rounds lately and is indiscriminately targeting both customers as well as non-customers of AGL. The hoax email or the text message will contain malware that targets to infect your computer with ransomware and steal your personal information. These fake emails sent to the customers come with the subject “Pay AGL electricity bill immediately”.
AGL has alerted people about phishing scams and advised them not to open any suspicious links or make payments. The company has reassured the public that it is taking measures to enhance the security of its domain.
What is AGL?
Australian Gas Light popularly known as AGL is a listed public company. It is one of Australia’s leading energy companies that provides electricity, gas, solar and renewable energy services and in addition provides internet and mobile plans.
What is the AGL Scam?
Both customers and non customers of AGL are receiving hoax emails which include phishing links, fake alerts and the other gimmicks. The scammers try very hard to appear legitimate and pose to be the leading brand AGL. They typically claim that you owe money in form of electricity bills or outstanding gas payment to try to get to make a payment.
Unwitting victims sometimes also end up making illegitimate payment to the fake outstanding bill. Once the payment is made neither AGL nor the bank can do anything about it. It is you who are at a loss.
These phishing emails contain a link that is cleverly designed to gain access to your personal information. They send out fake alerts saying your AGL account needs “re-verification” and hence you are required to give all the details. If you provide them with all the sensitive information this will definitely be used against you to commit frauds.
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The scammers in no time will hack into your account and steal all your financial information. You will be surprised as to how fast all the money in your account will be gone.
Reg Flags
The scam emails are phishing attacks that target unsuspecting customers. Their primary goal is to access your sensitive personal information which in-turn helps them loot the money in your bank account.
To make sure you don’t fall into their carefully set up trap, take a close look at the email address that the fake bill or the link is sent from. The scam email will have slight differences compared to the official AGL email id. Do not click on the links attached in the email if you have even the slightest doubt.
The hoax email does not provide any specific information such as the account number and your supply address. The email tends to be very vague and significant details would be missing. This is your clue to not trust them with your money. You can spot these scam emails as they have lots of grammatical and spelling errors
AGL has made it very clear that they will never send an email requesting your personal banking or financial information and to check your account details on their official website or their app if you have any doubt.
How to protect yourself?
Phishing mails are very common these days and the sad part is that they are succeeding. Scams succeed because they look very genuine and catch people off guard when they are least expecting it. One needs to be very cautious before providing their phone numbers or other personal details and always consider the possibility of scam.
If the link or the body of the email is looking suspicious, verify with AGL at once. Do not click on the link and make sure to delete the email immediately and report it. If you have submitted your details , change your password and request AGL to secure your account straight away. Also do run an antivirus scan to protect your computer from getting infected with malware.
AGL Energy Scam: Conclusion
There are many customers who have complained about receiving AGL malicious emails. Be wary of unusual payment requests and never give access to your personal information to uninvited individuals. Think twice before blindly trusting the fake emails. Stay vigilant and do a little research beforehand.
The AGL email scam is easy to spot but unfortunately many people have fallen prey for it. Hence make sure to share this post among your social circle and make them aware of how such hustles work.
If you have lost a significant amount of money to online scams, do not lose hope. We can help you recover your funds!
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