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DON’T GET HOOKED BY A “PHISHING” SCAM

 “Phishing” is the name given to a method internet scammers use to lure unsuspecting victims to disclose financial information. Phishing, also called “carding” is a high-tech scam that uses spam to deceive consumers into divulging their credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security numbers, passwords and other sensitive information.

 Here’s how it works. The emails pretend to be from businesses the potential victims deal with. Examples are: their internet service provider (ISP), online payment service, credit card company or financial institution. The fraudsters tell recipients that they need to “update” or “validate” their billing information to keep their accounts active and direct them to a “look-alike” Web site of the legitimate business. Further tricking consumers into thinking they are responding to a bona fide request. Unknowingly, consumers submit their financial information to the scammers, not to the business. The information is then used to order goods and services and obtain credit.

 To avoid getting caught by one of these scams, the FTC (Federal Trade commission), the nation’s consumer protection agency, offers this advice:

• If you get an email that warns you, with little or no notice, that an account of yours will be shut down unless you reconfirm you’re billing information, DO not reply or click on the link in the email. Instead, contact the company cited in the email using a telephone number of the Web site address you know to be genuine.

• Avoid emailing personal and financial information. Before submitting financial information through a Web site, look for the “lock” icon on the browser’s status bar. It signals that your information is secure during transmission.

• Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether there are any unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your Credit Card Company or financial institution to confirm your billing address and account balances.

• Report suspicious activity to the FTC. Send the actual spam to uce@ftc.gov. If you believe you’ve been scammed, file your complaint at www.ftc.gov, and then visit the FTC’s Identity Theft Web site (www.ftc.gov/idtheft) to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from identity theft. Visit www.ftc.gov/spam to learn other ways to avoid email scams and deal with deceptive spam.

 The Federal Trade Commission works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-383-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

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