Internet Scams Evolving
"Vhishing" Combines Email With Phone
ID thieves are taking a new tone when it comes to "phishing" scams: the telephone.
For years, financial institutions, the government, security experts, and news media have been urging people to not give out personal information to unsolicited emails -- even if those emails appear to come from a trusted business (like your credit union).
That's because nearly all such emails come from Identity Thieves, who create or copy web pages that look like legitimate company web pages, then send emails to unsuspecting people urging them to log on to the site and update account information as a security measure enacted by that company.
The thieves would then steal the information that was entered and use it to go on shopping sprees, leaving the person whose identity was stolen to clean up the mess.
But after all those warnings issued alerting people to phishing scam tactics, the scammers have evolved.
They've taken the standard "don't respond to ANY of these emails.....no legitimate company will EVER ask you to submit this information via the internet" warning and turned it into the sales pitch for a new scam.
The scam emails now direct people to call an 800 number - usually an automated number - and tells you to punch in the data the thief wants.
This new "phishing" scam is called "vhishing," which stands for a voice-phishing scam. The fraudsters hope to fool people who know not to click a link in an unsolicited email that asks for personal information. Making a call might seem like the safe thing to do if you don't realize that number goes to a crook. One such scam was sent to bank customers in California. The simple text email message claimed to be from the bank's customer service department:
After three unsuccessful attempts to access your account, your ... online profile has been locked. This has been done to secure your accounts and to protect your private information ... Call this phone number (1.xxx.xxx.xxxx) to verify your account and your identity." Those who fell for the message and dialed the number heard a simple automated response that said, "Welcome to account verification. Please type your 16-digit card number."
Be suspicious of ANY email or voice message that asks for this information. Commonwealth Credit Union will NEVER send an email or voice message asking members to call us to verify information by entering their personal information in an automated system.
If you receive any such messages claiming to be from Commonwealth Credit Union, please contact us at our published phone numbers: 800.228.6420 or 502.564.4775.
For more information on "phishing" or "vhishing" scams, log on to www.ccuky.org and click on the "Security Alert" icon.
