Fraudulent sites for Japanese banks, firms, govt agencies found

Several apparently fake Web sites resembling the actual ones of Japanese banks, companies, and government agencies have been found, although theft of personal data has not yet been confirmed.

The Japan Times reported Friday, citing an unidentified Financial Services Agency official and other sources, that although no problems, including data theft, have been confirmed yet, financial institutions have urged online users to remain alert. The Financial Services Agency (FSA) is the government agency overseeing banking, insurance, securities and exchange.

The bogus sites are said to resemble the genuine Web sites of the banks, companies and government agencies, but include some words in Chinese, the sources said in the report.

The FSA official added since the fake sites did not necessarily ask users to enter personal information, it was hard to conclude whether the sites are being used for phishing or other acts of fraud.

Several regional banks have been alerted about the bogus sites, and passed the information on to regional finance bureaus overseeing them, the Japan Times reported.

Symantec Japan noted that the fraudulent sites could have been prepared by Chinese telecommunications companies to allow people using mobile phones or computers with slow Internet speeds to access the Web sites, it added.