Warning: Beware of malicious emails masquerading as being sent by a Mizuho Bank employee (March 4, 2022)

It has come to our attention that some persons have received emails masquerading as being sent by a Mizuho Bank employee, but with the intent of infecting the recipient’s computer with a virus.

Please note that Mizuho Bank does not send emails in the format shown below.

These malicious emails typically encourage recipients to access a URL contained in the body of the message or to open an attached file. Such actions can result in the recipient’s computer connecting to a server designed for malicious purposes or being infected by a virus.

Particular caution is required in the current case, as the name appearing in the Sender field may in fact be the name of an actual Mizuho Bank employee, making it difficult to distinguish between a legitimate email and a malicious one.

Please pay special attention to the typical characteristics of recent malicious emails, listed below. If you receive a suspicious email or one that otherwise does not look familiar, never click on any URLs or attachments contained therein and make sure you promptly delete it.

■Typical characteristics of recent malicious emails
・The name appearing in the Sender field and that of the sender’s email address differ.
・Contains attachments such as Excel or Word files with macros, or password-protected Zip files.