Scam Alert: Watch for Net-Based Call From 'Bank'
Posted on: Wednesday, 10 May 2006, 12:07 CDT
By Ben Van Der Meer, The Modesto Bee, Calif.
May 10--The scam: Your bank is calling.
--How it works: With the growing popularity of Internet phone service, it was only a matter of time before scammers found a way to use it for fraud. That time is now, with a security firm reporting that scammers have used "voice over Internet protocol" technology to get bank customers' passwords, personal identification numbers and other information.
In this scam, customers get a spam message that asks them to call their bank. The number they call uses the Internet. An automated service on the other end asks for personal account information, which scammers then use for fraudulent ends.
--What's at stake: Your bank account information, which could be used for identity theft and to get your money.
--How to beat it: Be careful of any e-mail message that tells you to call your bank. Banks usually communicate with their customers by mail, not through e-mail. And be doubly wary of providing any personal banking information over the phone -- through the Internet or otherwise.
Report the incident to your local law enforcement agency and consumer protection groups: Federal Trade Commission: English -- www.ftc.gov Spanish -- www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/ edcams/ojo/s-index.htm State Department of Consumer Affairs: File a complaint on the Web site in English or Spanish -- www.dca.ca.gov; or call 800-952-5210.
MidCal Better Business Bureau: www.midcalbbb.org or 948-4880.
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To see more of The Modesto Bee, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.modbee.com
Copyright (c) 2006, The Modesto Bee, Calif.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
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Source: The Modesto Bee
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