Avoid being a victim of phishing scams.Due to an enormous increase in activity of "phishing Pronounced "fishing," it is a scam to steal valuable information such as credit card and social security numbers, user IDs and passwords. Also known as "brand spoofing," an official-looking e-mail is sent to potential victims pretending to be from their ISP, bank or retail establishment. " scare artists across the country, the California Bankers Association (CBA See Capital Builder Account. ) is offering tips to consumers to help keep them from becoming victims of phishing scams. The typical "phishing" scam (SCSI Configured AutoMatically) A subset of Plug and Play that allows SCSI IDs to be changed by software rather than by flipping switches or changing jumpers. Both the SCSI host adapter and peripheral must support SCAM. See SCSI. works this way: A consumer receives an e-mail from what appears to be a financial institution or retailer, asking them to please confirm all of their account information and other identifying information. Though the email looks like it is legitimate and from the financial institution or retailer, it is a scam front. All of the information entered by the consumer is then used by fraudsters to access credit and bank accounts or commit ID theft. Phishing tips for consumers: * Never give out your personal financial information in response to an unsolicited un·so·lic·it·ed adj. Not looked for or requested; unsought: an unsolicited manuscript; unsolicited opinions. unsolicited Adjective phone call, fax or e-mail, no matter how official it may seem. * Do not respond to e-mail that may warn of dire consequences unless you validate your information immediately. Contact the company to confirm the e-mail's validity using a telephone number or Web address you know to be genuine. * Check your credit card and bank account statements regularly and look for unauthorized transactions, even small ones. Some thieves hope small transactions will go unnoticed. Report discrepancies immediately. * When submitting financial information to a Web site, look for the padlock or key icon at the bottom of your browser, and make sure the Internet address There are two kinds of addresses that are widely used on the Internet. One is a person's e-mail address, and the other is the address of a Web site, which is known as a URL. Following is an explanation of Internet e-mail addresses only. For more on URLs, see URL and Internet domain name. begins with "https." This signals that your information is secure during transmission. * Report suspicious activity to the Internet Crime Internet crime is crime committed on the Internet, using the Internet and by means of the Internet. Computer crime is a general term that embraces such crimes as phishing, credit card frauds, bank robbery, illegal downloading, industrial espionage, child pornography, Complaint Center, a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime white collar crime n. a generic term for crimes involving commercial fraud, cheating consumers, swindles, insider trading on the stock market, embezzlement and other forms of dishonest business schemes. Center. * If you have responded to an email, contact your bank immediately so they can protect your account and your identity. Information for this article was provided by the California Bankers Association (CBA), one of the largest state banking trade associations in the country. |
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