E-Mail Spoofing and Phishing
The FBI did a press release where Assistant Director of the Cyber Division, Jana Monroe, stated that fake e-mails that attempt to trick consumers into giving out their personal information are the latest and most troubling scam on the internet. The FBI’s Internet Fraud Complaing Center (IFCC) has received a steady increase in complaints about unsolicited
emails that are directing consumers to a fake customer service type of web site that is contributing to a rise in identity theft and credit card fraud.
Spoofing (aka phishing) is a fraudulent attempt to get an internet user to believe they are receiving an email from a trusted source enabling the scammer to retrieve the persons information which then allows them to go commit fraud and identity theft. In one of these fake emails, the header of the email will appear to have originated from a trusted source but is not in reality. Spammers often use spoofing to get consumers to open and potentially respond to their solicitations.
The FBI offers these warning to help protect yourself:
- If you receive an e-mail that asks you for personal financial or any identity information, use extreme caution.
- If you need to update your information on a website, open a new internet browser window and type the legitimate company’s website.
- Always be aware of the emails you receive. Pay attention to the “from” header and if it doesn’t look familiar, use caution. If you receive anything that looks like its from your financial institution and you are in doubt, call your bank number and not any phone number that may be in a suspicious email.
- If you have any doubts about an email or web address, always call the company directly and report any suspicious or fraudulent emails to your internet service provider.
Additionally, Reputation.com suggests using strong passwords to protect your email accounts.
Here is more info on this from About.com – US Gov Info – http://usgovinfo.about.com/cs/consumer/a/aaspoofing.htm