Warning issued for people that leave multiple tabs open on computer

A SCAM warning has been issued for people that leave multiple tabs open on their computer.

Dorset Police have started to see ‘tabnapping’ taking place, which is a type of phishing scam that allows fraudsters to get people’s personal information.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: “Tabnapping targets people who keep multiple tabs open in their browser, often for long periods of time.

“The fraudsters then use JavaScript to change the contents and label of an open, but not active, tab to resemble the log-in screen of a bank, email provider or online shopping store.”

When the user clicks back onto the tab to find the fake log in, they assume that they must have been logged and out and re-enter their information.

This information is then sent straight to the fraudsters, which they can use to commit fraud.

The fraudsters may even put an additional message on the fake log-in screen, saying that the session has timed out and the user needs to re-enter their log-in details.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: “This is a message that appears on legitimate websites, particularly on banks, increasing the likelihood that the user thinks the log-in screen is trustworthy.”

This can be prevented by installing anti-virus and anti-spyware software and if you’re unsure whether a log-in is legitimate, close down the tab and retype in the URL.