Fake Origin Energy Bill Emails Link to Malware

Keep an eye out for bill emails that appear to come from Australian energy supplier Origin. The emails feature the Origin logo and colour scheme and are designed to emulate genuine Origin bill notification emails.

However, the emails are not from Origin. Instead, they are scams designed to trick recipients into clicking a link that downloads malware.

If you click the “View Bill” button, the malware will be downloaded to your computer.

To add to the illusion of legitimacy, secondary links in the fake bill open the genuine Origin website.

Rather bizarrely, the helpline number listed in the scam email belongs to an osteopathy provider located in NSW.

Origin Energy is warning Internet users about the malware attack via its website, noting:

Please be aware that we’ve had reports of customers and non-customers receiving fake Origin bills via email. If you believe you’ve received one of these emails, we strongly recommend not clicking on any links.

Origin has also published a report that explains how to tell a scam from a real Origin message.

Similar “Origin bill” malware messages were distributed in May 2017. And, scammers have used the names of other energy companies in almost identical fake bill malware attacks.

If you receive one of these bogus Origin bills, do not click any links or open any attachments that it contains.