Beware of Internet Scrooges This Holiday Season

Beware of Internet Scrooges This Holiday Season

ABA Warns Consumers About 'Phishing' Scams

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Internet thieves known as "phishers" have a special wish this holiday season. They hope your holiday spirits are so high you'll be duped into giving away your personal financial information.

These criminals send emails to millions hoping that even a few will give away valuable information. Well-known companies are usually spoofed in this identity theft scam. Thieves use graphics and language taken directly from trusted companies' Web sites to create tools to gather information, asking customers to validate or update account information. These tools look much like common Web-based forms, and many consumers fall for the scam because they look authentic.

In the past, phishing emails were sometimes detectable because of obvious spelling or grammatical errors; however, more recent emails have become more sophisticated. Scammers now include more genuine language misleading consumers to trust the source and click on the provided link.

Once the victim transmits this information, the identity thieves use the victim's credit card numbers and passwords, even obtain new credit accounts with more sensitive information such as social security numbers and bank account information.

The American Bankers Association offers the following tips to ensure your online financial safety this holiday season:

* Never click on a link provided in an email asking for personal
information; open a new browser with a Web address you know to be
genuine.

* Never give out your personal financial information in response to an
unsolicited phone call, fax or email, no matter how official it may
seem.

* Do not respond to email that may warn of dire consequences unless you
validate your information immediately. Contact the company to confirm
the email's validity using a telephone number or Web address you know
to be genuine.

* Check your credit card and bank account statements regularly. 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 begins with "https." This signals that your
information is secure during transmission.

* Report suspicious activity to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a
partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime
Center.

* If you have responded to an email, contact your bank immediately so
they can protect your account and your identity.



Source: American Bankers Association

CONTACT: John Hall of the American Bankers Association, +1-202-663-5473,
jhall@aba.com

Web site: http://www.aba.com/


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