Apparently fraudulent websites for several Japanese banks, companies, government ministries and agencies have been found, a Financial Services Agency official said Thursday.
Although theft of personal data or other problems have yet to be confirmed, many financial institutions are calling on users of their online services to remain alert, according to the official and other sources.
The fraudulent websites resemble the genuine websites of the banks, companies and government agencies but include some words in Chinese, they said.
As the bogus websites do not necessarily ask people accessing them to enter personal information, it is hard to conclude that they are being used for phishing or other acts of fraud, according to an FSA official.
Several regional banks were alerted about the bogus websites and passed the information on to regional finance bureaus overseeing them Wednesday.
According to information security firm Symantec Japan Inc., the seemingly bogus websites could have been prepared by Chinese telecom companies with the intention to allow people using mobile phones or computers with slow Internet speeds to have access to the websites.
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