Ink Out Loud: Scam? You can bank on it
By Mandy Feder
I stared at my computer screen for a moment at the e-mail notice from my bank.
It stated this: “Dear valued customer, Suspicious activity was detected on your bank account. Because we detected unusual activity on your account, we”ve disabled all access for your protection. We do this to protect your privacy and make sure that only you have access to your account. For immediate access, follow these steps:
1. Sign in to your account
2. You will be prompted to update your information and SiteKey to verify your account.
“Please follow this link and sign in.” The e-mail address had my bank name in it.
At the bottom it said, “Member FDIC. ? 2011 All Rights Reserved.”
I see and hear about a lot of scams. I decided to print it out and take a copy to my bank to be sure it was authentic.
It wasn”t. The teller said, “Boy this is a good one.” Can I keep it?” She wanted to send it off to the corporate office and also report it to authorities.
It had the bank logo on it as well.
I really wonder just what is being done about this. What is the corporation doing and what are the limits of the authorities? I know it”s quite difficult to chase scammers across state lines and furthermore, out-of-country.
Most obvious scams say something such as, “Dearest One,” “I need your urgent help” or inform you you”ve won a great sum of money, in the subject line.
Of course I delete those immediately.
But in the last year or so, I”ve gotten e-mails from addresses of friends, coworkers and people I”ve done business with. I have even gotten them from my own e-mail address. That freaked me out.
I change my password about once a week. I was told it”s a good safeguard.
According to the FBI, “Cyber criminals are targeting the financial accounts of owners and employees of small and medium-sized businesses, resulting in significant business disruption and substantial monetary losses due to fraudulent transfers from these accounts. Often these funds may not be recovered.”
People who bank online must be vigilant in carefully examining each e-mail.
I did not want to ignore it if indeed my information was compromised. But I had a feeling I shouldn”t open the e-mail. There was only one indicator that the e-mail was not genuine. It said it was sent to “undisclosed recipients.” I thought to myself, why would the company send a bulk e-mail if it were only a message to me.
The FBI site states, “Cyber criminals employ various technological and non-technological methods to manipulate or trick victims into divulging personal or account information. Such techniques may include performing an action such as opening an e-mail attachment, accepting a fake friend request on a social networking site, or visiting a legitimate, yet compromised, website that installs malware on their computer(s).”
In order to keep yourself protected, the FBI recommends not responding to, or opening attachments or click on links in unsolicited e-mails.
If a message appears to be from your financial institution and requests account information, do not use any of the links provided. Contact the financial institution.
Financial institutions do not send customers e-mails asking for passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive information. If you receive an e-mail from an apparent legitimate source (such as the IRS, Better Business Bureau, Federal courts, UPS) contact the sender directly through other means to verify the authenticity.
Be wary of pop-up messages claiming your machine is infected and offering software to scan and fix the problem, as it could actually be malicious software that allows the fraudster to remotely access and control your computer.
Cyberspace is vast, tread carefully there.
Mandy Feder is the Record-Bee managing editor. She can be reached at mandyfeder@yahoo.com or 263-5636 ext. 32.
