Phishers Escape the Net!
Phishers, the fraudsters who use bogus emails to steal personal and financial information and password data continue to target Warwickshire consumers, the County’s Trading Standards Service is warning consumers and businesses.
The latest incident reported to the service concerned an email which falsely claimed to have been sent by the Abbey National.
The email asked the recipient to confirm their email address by clicking on a link. However, had they done so they would have been directed to a fraudulent website.
If they had then entered their personal and password data, believing themselves to be logging in to Abbey’s genuine site, this information would have been stolen and used for identity theft.
Phishers send out bogus emails that purport to come from all manner of sources including banks and building societies, credit card companies, online retailers, auction websites and payment systems such as Paypal.
Even social networking sites are targeted as many people have comprehensive private profiles on such sites including information on email and physical addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and work and education history’s – a treasure trove for any identity thief who can get hold of users password data.
How to avoid being ‘Phished’
* Be wary of unexpected emails and ask yourself: do I know the person who has sent it?
* Am I expecting an email and does the email make any sense? Bogus emails are often poorly written and some use random characters or words in the subject line to bypass spam filters.
* Never go to a website from a link in an email and enter personal details. Always type in the address in to the web browser and if in doubt, contact the organisation separately on an advertised number.
* Keep passwords and PIN numbers safe and secret. Be wary of disclosing any personal information to someone you don’t know.
* Many banks and other financial institutions have their own online additional security measures. Make sure that you are aware of them.
* Keep your PC secure. Use up-to-date anti-virus software and antispyware, security patches and a personal firewall. Be extra careful if using Internet cafes or any PC which is not your own and over which you have no control.
* Many web browsers have Phishing filters that will flag up suspicious sites. Keep these turned on.
* Check your bank statement and your credit history on a regular basis and report any irregularities.
* Check your statement. If you notice anything irregular on your account contact your bank immediately.
If you become a victim of fraud follow this advice:
* File a report with the local police.
* Place a fraud alert on your credit reports. Check with your bank or financial advisor if you’re not sure how to do this.
* Change the passwords or PINs on all your online account.
*Contact the bank or the online merchant directly. Do not follow the link in the fraudulent e-mail.
* If you know of any accounts that were accessed or opened fraudulently, close those accounts.