Message from my pension provider

[Frogmodem]

I've had this message from my private pension provider (public sector).  Why is BT mentioned specifically, I wonder?  

I shall now need to receive an SMS or use a verification app to see my details, pay slips etc.  So SMS is now more secure then BT mail, is it?  I think the jury is still out on that one!

We’ve seen an increase in fraud attempts using email-based verification, particularly involving providers such as BT Internet, so we’re strengthening security for all members.

But on a more serious note, there does seem to be a lot of spam and phishing around in webmail using other people's accounts, with not much effort being made to hide the address.  Is BT mail becoming more insecure?

[gg30340]

It would appear that your pension provider has moved into the 21st century as regards your pension account security and it is now using two factor authentication before you will be able to access your account. 

This means that when you sign into your pension account you will be sent a PIN number to your mobile phone if you have one or to your email address that you have supplied to your pension provider.

The PIN and where is is sent has nothing to do with BT but if it is your mobile or email address it is very likely that you are the only person who would have access to your mobile and email account so it should be only you and not a spammer/hacker receiving the PIN and it would only be you who would be able to use it to complete the logon procedure and as such it would be a more secure way of logging on to your pension account.

As regards why your pension provider singled out BT you would need to ask them because it is not only BT email addresses that are used by spammers.

See link about Two Factor Authentication (2FA).

What Is Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)? | Microsoft Security

As regards the spam etc that you mentioned, the BT email addresses that the spammers are using have undoubtedly not been sent from the email addresses that they purport to have been sent from. The email addresses will have been "Spoofed" to appear to come from a genuine address in order to add some credibility to the email in the hope that the recipient believes it genuine and does what it asks. 

If you receive an email, if you hover your mouse over the email address in webmail you will see the true email address that sent the email. You can then decide whether or not to open it or just delete it as spam. If in doubt just delete it.

See link about spoofing

Email spoofing - Wikipedia

[shakey1981]

scam they target all email addresses ending in @btinternet.com just block it 

[Frogmodem]

They are completely abandoning using email for the 2FA codes.  I do have a couple of organisations that still send them to my email address though.  The verification apps are very good apparently, so I'll probably opt for that.

[gg30340]

---

@shakey1981wrote:

scam they target all email addresses ending in @btinternet.com just block it 

---

You do realise that if the OP blocks the @btinternet domain it will block ALL BT email addresses that use that domain and not the one the scammer has spoofed because it is not coming from the BT domain!

[shakey1981]

block the entire e email example @btinternet.com this will not block  @btinternet.com if there are spoofing/using a bt service

if not from bt  @btinternet.com then just block that domain

as the OP didn’t say what service they were SENDING  if from only that it advised that the were changing it if you had a bt email account

still no idea as to which email service which service they the sender is using

 id they are using if its not bt or spoofing  @btinternet.com

[shakey1981]

you do know there using a none bt email to send this scam ! it is spoofed thien you could block every email in  a contact list and would make zero difference !

@btinternet.com there just spamming everyone with this prefix/domain

[gg30340]

@shakey1981 

I suggest you re read all the thread as it would appear that you have no idea what you are talking about.

It has already been pointed out that the spam emails are not coming from a btinternet.com email address. The sending email address will be spoofed to appear to be from btinternet.com if that is what the spammer is doing.

To find the true sending address the OP was advised to hover his mouse over the email address and this will reveal the true sending email address, which includes its domain.

Another way of finding the true email address is to log onto his BTMail account and then tick the box to the left of the email then click on "more" in the menu bar and then click on "view Source". This will show the path that the email took to reach the Inbox and it will reveal the true sender's email address and domain.

[shakey1981]

feel free to ignore me then

[gg30340]

---

@shakey1981wrote:

feel free to ignore me then

---

Don't worry I will and I suggest that anybody else reading your posts does the same!