Michael Maron, Telstra Area general manager for Illawarra, said the company had received reports from customers about emails that requested they enter personal information into a malicious website.

He said such emails are becoming more sophisticated and may even be sent from a legitimate  email address the recipient recognises.

‘‘Many customers are probably aware of one of the most common hoaxes where an email contains an attachment designed to introduce malware onto a customer’s computer or device. These tend to be a PDF or a ZIP file,’’ Mr Marom said.

‘‘The other common hoax is where an email contains embedded links directing customers to a phishing website to gather personal details.’’

He said that people who suspect they have received a hoax email should not reply to it or click on any links or open any attachments and instead delete it.

Mr Maron also said people should never respond to requests for personal information in an unexpected email or pop-up window.

Other safety tips included not clicking on emailed links from senders or sites you don’t know or trust and, if in doubt, visiting the trusted website by typing the URL into a browser rather than clicking on a link in the email.