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Phishing |
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There is a
new type of Internet piracy called "phishing." it's pronounced "fishing," and
that's exactly what these thieves are doing: "fishing" for your personal
financial information. What they want are account numbers, passwords, Social
Security numbers, and other confidential information that they can use to loot
your checking account or run up bills on your credit cards.
In the worst case, you could find yourself victim of identity theft. With the
sensitive information obtained from a successful phishing scam, these thieves
can take out loans or obtain credit cards and even driver's licenses in your
name. They can do damage to your financial history and personal reputation
that can take years to unravel. But if you understand how phishing works and
how to protect yourself, you can help stop this crime.
Here's how phishing works:
In a typical case, you'll receive an e-mail that appears to come from a
reputable company that you recognize and do business with, such as your
Financial Institution. In some cases, the e-mail may appear to come from a
government agency, including one of the federal financial institution regulatory
agencies.
The e-mail will probably warn you of a serious problem that requires your
immediate attention. It may use phrases, such as "Immediate attention required,"
or Please contact us immediately about your account." The e-mail will then
encourage you to click on a button to go to the institution's Web site.
In a phishing scam, you could be redirected to a phony Web site that may look
exactly like the real thing. Sometimes, in fact, it may be the company's actual
web site. In those cases, a pop-up window will quickly appear for the purpose of
harvesting your financial information.
In either case, you may be asked to update your account information or to
provide information for verification purposes: your Social Security Number, your
account number, your password, or the information you use to verify your
identity when speaking to a real financial institution, such as your mother's
maiden name or your place of birth.
If your provide the requested information, you may find yourself the victim
of identity theft.
How to Protect Yourself
1. Never provide your personal information in response to an unsolicited
request, whether it is over the phone or over the internet. E-mails and
internet pages created by phishers may look exactly like the real thing. They
may even have a fake padlock icon that ordinarily is used to denote a secure
site. If you did not initiate the communication, you should not
provide any information.
2. If you believe the contact may be legitimate, contact the financial
institution yourself. You can find phone number and web sites on the monthly
statement you receive from your financial institution, or you can look the
company up in a phone book or on the Internet. The key is that you
should be the one to initiate the contact, using contact information that you
have verified yourself.
3. Never provide your password over the phone or in response to an
unsolicited internet request. A financial institution would never ask you to
verify your account information online, thieves armed with this information and
your account number can help themselves to your savings.
4. Review account statements regularly to ensure all charges are correct.
If your account statement is late in arriving, call your financial institution
to find out why. If your financial institution offers electronic account access,
periodically review activity online to catch suspicious activity.
Have questions? Please contact
support at
931-685-1444
or
fcb@first-community.net |
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