October 26, 2004
New Email Targets Suntrust Bank Customers in Identity Theft / Phishing Scam
The email scams continue to "phish" for identity information and bank account data. The latest targets Suntrust Bank Customers and looks like it is actually from SunTrust, although it isn't.
The phishing email claims that identity theft is on the rise and to protect yourself you must "verify" your customer information. A link to what looks like the Suntrust website is included in the email, but the website is actually phony and controlled by scam artists attempting to steal consumer information.
Suntrust has warned its customers to never click on an email to verify account information. The bank, like many, would contact customers via US Mail to communicate phishing and identity theft issues.
Posted by savsb at 04:37 PM | Comments (0)
October 21, 2004
Latest Phishing Scam Targets Citibank Customers
The latest phishing scam designed to steal bank account login information is directed at Citibank Customers. The email circulating around the Internet looks something like this:
Dear Citibank Customer,
When signing on to Citibank Online, you or somebody else have made several login attempts and reached your daily attempt limit. As an additional security measure your access to Online Banking has been limited. This Web security measure does not affect your access to phone banking or ATM banking.
Please sign on and verify your information here. You will be able to attempt signing on to Citibank Online within twenty-four hours after you verify your information. (You do not have to change your Password at this time.)
Remember to report any unsolicited attempt to access your personal financial information to you bank and the Federal Trade Commission.
The best rule of advice to avoid a phishing scam and protect yourself from identity theft is to never "verify" information from an email.
Posted by savsb at 10:56 AM | Comments (0)
October 07, 2004
Why Is Identity Theft Growing So Fast?
Why are cases of identity theft continuing to grow? The answer is simple: Identity theft, phishing scams, and other computer crimes offer high gain and low risk compared to other ways to commit criminal acts.
For identity theft, it's possible to steal someone's financial information via a computer without their knowledge. Now, let's face it, if you steal someone's car or thier pockebook, or even their valuable jewelry, they will know very quickly.
With identity theft, the first crime is taking the information and the second crime is using that information to steal money. With other types of theft, such as auto theft, the criminal doesn't have the luxury of stealing a car and then selling it again before someone realizes what has taken place.
Identity theft is actually "high gain" because the criminal that has taken someone's identity to open financial or credit account can purchase different items many times over and over. It's more bang for the buck.
Surely the future will bring us to fingerprint or retina scans to verify ourselves one day and this won't be possible. Of course, the downside is, that will be the full realization of big brother.
In the meantime, education is the answer. We must educate our friends, family, and co-workers to the dangers of phishing and teach them to never respond to requests for personal information online (or by telephone for that matter).
Posted by savsb at 07:30 PM | Comments (0)
Attempted Phishing Scam Imitating Suntrust Bank
Last night I recieved an email "claiming" to be from Suntrust Bank. The scary part about the newest phishing and identity theft scams is that they are sending out emails claiming to be your legitimate financial institution and that in order to protect you from both ID Theft and Phishing Scams, you must "verify" your customer information.
I mean, the very thing you should never do, is enter your name, social security #, bank acct #, or anything person to ANYONE who sends you an email asking you to reply either by email or by "clicking" on a link.
Many times these "links" you click on have the actual legitimate website URL "displayed" in the email, but it actually directs you to a different website (sometimes with a simialar URL) where the dummy site actually looks like the real thing.
Beware, beware! We have to be on guard about these scams. Those of us who are knowledgeable about such things should preach to our friends and family and make sure they don't fall victim to these insidious criminals!
Posted by savsb at 07:21 PM | Comments (0)
October 06, 2004
Security Bank of Georgia Warns Consumers of Phishing Scams
The Security Bank of Georgia, located in Macon, has placed a warning to consumers on its website about Email Fraud & Identity Theft. The bank warns that identity theft is one of the "fastest crimes" in the United States of America and that "phishing" or "spoofing" endagers customers by tricking them into revealing information such as bank account numbers, social security numbers, etc.
Consumers in the Macon, Warner Robins, Perry, and Gray Georgia area should be aware of this risk.
For more information visit the Security Bank consumer alert.
Posted by savsb at 07:51 PM
Federal Trade Commission Offers Advice on Phishing Scams
The Federal Trade Commission has issued a consumer alert on "how to not get hooked by a phishing scam." The FTC defines "phishing" as "a high-tech scam that uses spam or pop-up messages to deceive you into disclosing your credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords, or other sensitive information."
In the alert, the government agency warns citizens to be suspicious of emails or pop-up messages that look to be from a company you do business with. The types of businesses that may be impersonated by criminals looking to steal your personal information includines ISPs, banks, online banking or payment services, or even a US government agency.
The FTC warns that criminals duplicate official websites that look like the website of your bank or Internet service provider and then send out emails or pop-up ads that invite you to enter your personal information, many times for "verification" purposes.
For the complete "phishing scam" consumer alert, visit the Federal Trade Commission Website.
Posted by savsb at 07:07 PM | Comments (0)
Phishing Scams To Watch For
Phishing is the term used to describe online thieves who "fish" for information about you. Many times this is sensitive, personal information such as credit card numbers or your social security number. Phishing leads to you allowing someone to make fraudelent charges on your credit card or, worse, phishing scams lead to identity theft.
Everyone knows that you should never give out sensitive information such as social security numbers over the phone to people who call. Many times criminals will pose as a legitimate company, including one that you do business with, and ask you to "verify" crucial information such as your social security number. Unfortuniately, many people still fall for this trick on the telephone.
With computers and easy Internet access growing to become a more central element in our lives, criminals have taken to the Internet to contintue to fool people. One way to "phish" for sensitive personal information is to setup a website that looks official and send out emails asking you to go to this website and enter your information.
Many times it is a duplicate of a website that you would consider reputable and one you might even have a business relationship with, such as PAYPAL.com.
Posted by savsb at 07:07 PM | Comments (0)