11/18/2009
Phishing Alert from NACHA (11/12/2009)
Random individuals and/or companies may have received a falsified e-mail with the subject title "Rejected ACH Transaction." This e-mail appears to be from NACHA The Electronic Payments Association telling them that there is a problem with an ACH transaction they have originated. The e-mail includes a link which redirects the individual to a fake web page which appears like the NACHA website and contains a link which is almost certainly executable virus with malware. See sample below.
Please alert any financial institution and/or company who have questions about this site and inform them that the e-mail did not originate from NACHA, the website is not that of NACHA's, and inform them to not click on the link.
= = = = = Sample E-mail = = = = = =
Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 10:25 AM
To: Doe, John
Subject: Rejected ACH transaction, please review the transaction report
From: nacha.org [mailto:report@nacha.org]
Dear bank account holder,
The ACH transaction, recently initiated from your bank account, was rejected by the Electronic Payments Association. Please review the transaction report by clicking the link below:
Unauthorized ACH Transaction Report (this is the how the link is presented)
------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2009 by NACHA - The Electronic Payments Association
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
New E-Scams & Warnings
SPAMMERS CONTINUE TO ABUSE THE NAMES OF TOP GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVES BY MISUSING THE NAME OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL
10/27/09 - As with previous spam attacks, which have included the names of high-ranking FBI executives and names of various government agencies, a new version misuses the name of the United States Attorney General, Eric Holder.
The current spam alleges that the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were informed the e-mail recipient is allegedly involved in money laundering and terrorist-related activities. To avoid legal prosecution, the recipient must obtain a certificate from the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman at a cost of $370. The spam provides the name of the EFCC Chairman and an e-mail address from which the recipient can obtain the required certificate.
DO NOT RESPOND. THESE E-MAILS ARE A HOAX.
Government agencies do not send unsolicited e-mails of this nature. The FBI, Department of Justice, and other United States government executives are briefed on numerous investigations, but do not personally contact consumers regarding such matters. In addition, United States government agencies use the legal process to contact individuals. These agencies do not send threatening letters/e-mails to consumers demanding payments for Internet crimes.
Consumers should not respond to any unsolicited e-mails or click on any embedded links associated with such e-mails, as they may contain viruses or malware.
It is imperative consumers guard their Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Providing your PII will compromise your identity!
If you have been a victim of Internet crime, please file a complaint at www.IC3.gov.
Consumer Alerts
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E-mail Claiming to Be From the FDIC - October 26, 2009
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports of a fraudulent e-mail that has the appearance of being sent from the FDIC.
The subject line of the e-mail states: "check your Bank Deposit Insurance Coverage." The e-mail tells recipients that, "You have received this message because you are a holder of a FDIC-insured bank account. Recently FDIC has officially named the bank you have opened your account with as a failed bank, thus, taking control of its assets."
The e-mail then asks recipients to "visit the official FDIC website and perform the following steps to check your Deposit Insurance Coverage" (a fraudulent link is provided). It then instructs recipients to "download and open your personal FDIC Insurance File to check your Deposit Insurance Coverage."
This e-mail and associated Web site are fraudulent.
The FDIC does not issue unsolicited e-mails to consumers. Financial institutions and consumers should NOT follow the link in the fraudulent e-mail.
Recipients should consider the intent of this e-mail as an attempt to collect personal or confidential information, some of which may be used to gain unauthorized access to on-line banking services or to conduct identity theft. |
Minnesota Department of Public Safety - March 12, 2009
St. Paul - The year-round con artists' scam to bilk seniors by pretending to be their grandchildren, abroad, in trouble, and in need of cash - spikes during students' spring break travel period, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division (AGED).
AGED warns Minnesota grandparents to exercise caution if they receive phone calls from "grandchildren" requesting money for an urgent situation. Hallmarks of the fraud include a family member, or third-party representing them such as a police officer or border agent; an urgent need for immediate funds; and a demand for secrecy.
Typically in the scam, the caller will say, "Grandma, it's me, your grandchild," and wait for the grandparent to answer, "Jimmy, is that you?" The scammer then claims they need funds wired immediately to cover a vehicle crash, an arrest, border taxes or medical needs. Stressing their embarrassment, the caller urges the grandparent not to inform their parents or friends.
Scammers often can obtain enough accurate background information from the Internet, family tree Web sites, and even newspapers to make the fraudulent calls-for-help appear legitimate. They also rely heavily on leading questions to which grandparents willingly supply the answers.
The timing of spring break travel adds legitimacy to the calls, with many fake calls claiming to be from popular student warm-weather destinations such as Mexico and Jamaica. However, calls purporting to be from Canada lend credibility to the scam throughout the year, given its proximity to Minnesota.
"It's an amoral low as these criminals feed on the trust and goodwill of grandparents responding to perceived danger for their loved-ones," notes AGED Director John Willems. "But it's very real, and our office receives complaints about this scam regularly and year-round."
Willems offers tips to grandparents - and their family members - on how to avoid being taken by this increasingly popular scheme: Make sure of the caller's identity. Don't provide names or other information. Ask something that only the grandchild would know. Verify the location of the family member by calling another family member or friend. Resist the pressure to act quickly. Scammers depend on immediacy and will emotionally leverage love and embarrassment to induce their targets to wire funds quickly.
Minnesotans are asked to be vigilant about scams and other criminal fraud, and to report suspected fraud to the AGED by calling toll-free 866-347-0911; submit information at www.MnScams.org; or forward suspect emails to report@mnscams.org.
Grandparents Targeted by Would-Be Relatives in Trouble: Year-Round Scheme Gathers Steam During Spring Break Travel Period
IRS Warns of New E-Mail and Telephone Scams Using the IRS Name; Advance Payment Scams Starting
R-2008-11, Jan. 30, 2008
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today warned taxpayers to beware of several current e-mail and telephone scams that use the IRS name as a lure. The IRS expects such scams to continue through the end of tax return filing season and beyond.
The IRS cautioned taxpayers to be on the lookout for scams involving proposed advance payment checks. Although the government has not yet enacted an economic stimulus package in which the IRS would provide advance payments, known informally as rebates to many Americans, a scam which uses the proposed rebates as bait has already cropped up.
The goal of the scams is to trick people into revealing personal and financial information, such as Social Security, bank account or credit card numbers, which the scammers can use to commit identity theft.
Typically, identity thieves use a victim’s personal and financial data to empty the victim’s financial accounts, run up charges on the victim’s existing credit cards, apply for new loans, credit cards, services or benefits in the victim’s name, file fraudulent tax returns or even commit crimes. Most of these fraudulent activities can be committed electronically from a remote location, including overseas. Committing these activities in cyberspace allows scamsters to act quickly and cover their tracks before the victim becomes aware of the theft.
People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years — and their hard-earned money — cleaning up the mess thieves have made of their reputations and credit records. In the meantime, victims may lose job opportunities, may be refused loans, education, housing or cars, or even get arrested for crimes they didn't commit.
The most recent scams brought to IRS attention are described below.
Rebate Phone Call
At least one scheme using the word “rebate” as part of the lure has been identified. In that scam, consumers receive a phone call from someone identifying himself as an IRS employee. The caller tells the targeted victim that he is eligible for a sizable rebate for filing his taxes early. The caller then states that he needs the target’s bank account information for the direct deposit of the rebate. If the target refuses, he is told that he cannot receive the rebate.
This phone call is a scam. No legislation has yet been enacted that would allow the IRS to provide advance payments to taxpayers or that determines the details of those payments. Moreover, the IRS does not force taxpayers to use direct deposit. Those who opt for direct deposit do so by completing the appropriate section of their tax return, with bank routing and account information, when they file; the IRS does not gather the information by telephone.
Refund e-Mail
The IRS has seen several variations of a refund-related bogus e-mail which falsely claims to come from the IRS, tells the recipient that he or she is eligible for a tax refund for a specific amount, and instructs the recipient to click on a link in the e-mail to access a refund claim form. The form asks the recipient to enter personal information that the scamsters can then use to access the e-mail recipient’s bank or credit card account.
In a new wrinkle, the current version of the refund scam includes two paragraphs that appear to be directed toward tax-exempt organizations that distribute funds to other organizations or individuals. The e-mail contains the name and supposed signature of the Director of the IRS’s Exempt Organizations business division.
This e-mail is a phony. The IRS does not send unsolicited e-mail about tax account matters to individual, business, tax-exempt or other taxpayers.
Filing a tax return is the only way to apply for a tax refund; there is no separate application form. Taxpayers who wish to find out if they are due a refund from their last annual tax return filing may use the “Where’s My Refund?” interactive application on this Web site, IRS.gov. The only official IRS Web site is located here at www.irs.gov.
Audit e-Mail
Another new scam brought to IRS attention contains features not seen before by the IRS. Using a technique calculated to get almost anyone’s attention, the e-mail notifies the recipient that his or her tax return will be audited. This is the first scam of which the IRS is aware that uses this to get the victim to respond.
Unusual for a scam e-mail, it may contain a salutation in the body addressed to the specific recipient by name. Most scam e-mails seen by the IRS are sent using the same technique used by spammers, in which hundreds of thousands of messages are sent to potential victims based on Internet address. Because of the volume, the typical scam e-mail is not personalized.
This e-mail instructs the recipient to click on links to complete forms with personal and account information, which the scammers will use to commit identity theft.
This e-mail is a phony. The IRS does not send unsolicited, tax-account related e-mails to taxpayers.
Changes to Tax Law e-Mail
This bogus e-mail is addressed to businesses, accountants and “Treasury” managers. It instructs them to download information on tax law changes by clicking on a series of links to publications on businesses, estate taxes, excise taxes, exempt organizations and IRAs and other retirement plans. The IRS believes that clicking on a link downloads malware onto the recipient’s computer. Malware is malicious code that can take over the victim’s computer hard drive, giving someone remote access to the computer, or it could look for passwords and other information and send them to the scamster. There are other types of malware, as well.
The urls contained in the link are not legitimate IRS Web addresses. All IRS.gov Web page addresses begin with http://www.irs.gov/.
Paper Check Phone Call
In a current telephone scam, a caller claims to be an IRS employee who is calling because the IRS sent a check to the individual being called. The caller states that because the check has not been cashed, the IRS wants to verify the individual’s bank account number. The caller may have a foreign accent.
In reality, the IRS leaves it entirely up to the individual to choose to cash or not cash a paper check. The IRS has no business need to know, and does not ask for, bank account or similar information, except when taxpayers indicate on their tax return that they are opting for the direct electronic deposit of their refund. In that case, however, it is the individual’s responsibility to provide the IRS with the correct bank routing and account numbers on the tax return; the IRS does not contact taxpayers to verify the information.
What to Do
Anyone wishing to access the IRS Web site should initiate contact by typing the IRS.gov address into their Internet address window, rather than clicking on a link in an e-mail or opening an attachment.
Those who have received a questionable e-mail claiming to come from the IRS may forward it to a mailbox the IRS has established to receive such e-mails, phishing@irs.gov, using instructions contained in an article titled “How to Protect Yourself from Suspicious E-Mails or Phishing Schemes.” Following the instructions will help the IRS track the suspicious e-mail to its origins and shut down the scam. Find the article by visiting IRS.gov and entering the words “suspicious e-mails” into the search box in the upper right corner of the front page.
Those who have received a questionable telephone call that claims to come from the IRS may also use the phishing@irs.gov mailbox to notify the IRS of the scam.
The IRS has issued previous warnings on scams that use the IRS to lure victims into believing the scam is legitimate. More information on identity theft, phishing and telephone scams using the IRS name, logo or spoofed (copied) Web site is available on this Web site. Enter the terms “phishing,” “identity theft” or “e-mail scams” into the search box in the upper right corner of the front page.
Identity theft is America's fastest-growing crime
Last year alone, more then 9.9 million Americans were victims of identity theft, a crime that cost them roughly $5 billion.
Click here to visit the Federal Trade Commission's ID Theft Home page if you would like more information concerning identity theft and how to protect yourself.
Please note: Premier Bank is not responsible for the website content available at third party sites. Premier Bank Privacy Policy does not apply to third party sites. Please consult the Privacy disclosures on the sites that you are visiting for further information.
Be especially vigilant about:
Phishing- fraudulent e-mails, mail or phone calls that appear to be from a well-known source asking you to verify private information such as name, account information, credit information and passwords
Spoofing- an attacker produces a shadow copy of a legitimate website to gain access to personal information
General Tips to Prevent Abuse:
- Be wary of any unsolicited e-mails especially those concealing true identity
- Don’t judge a website by appearances – shadow copies are often equally impressive and professional
- Regularly review account activity at your bank, quickly report questionable activity
- Review Credit Card Account Statements regularly- report discrepancies immediately
- Refrain from giving out personal data on-line or by phone
- Run anti-virus software and update frequently
- Install a personal firewall
- Change passwords often and make sure they are not easily obtainable or easy to guess
- Be wary of parties demanding advance fees
- Suspect all “checks to be deposited” especially from overseas or related to sweepstakes
- Shred all private information before discarding
- Treat all business checks as cash and keep account information under lock and key
- Obtain a copy of your credit report on a yearly basis and review carefully
If you should fall victim to fraud or identity theft, see the above FTC brochure and act immediately.
Top Scams of 2008 - List provided by the Better Business Bureau
January 04, 2009 08:10 pm
The Better Business Bureau receives calls on it every day. Its a scam that is hitting people who are in the poorest of financial situations. Consumers across the United States are losing substantial sums of money responding to TV, newspaper or Web site advertisements that guarantee loans to people with poor credit. Advance-fee loan scam tops the BBB's Top Scams of 2008. Here is the complete list:
Advanced-fee loan scams - Consumers call a toll-free number listed in the ad, and the person on the other end takes their credit application over the phone. Consumers are told they've been approved for a loan from $5,000 to $100,000 and will receive the money once they pay a fee allegedly needed to cover the first loan payment or for security and/or insurance. The loan applicant is instructed to wire the money or send a money order. They never receive the loan and cannot recover their money. They also risk having their identity stolen if they provided their Social Security number or bank account number.
Counterfeit check scams - You receive a letter with a check in the mail, stating you've won a lottery or landed a mystery shopping job. You are told to deposit the check and wire part of the funds back to the company. The check looks real, but after you deposit it in your account, weeks later you find out it is fake. Now, you owe the bank the money and the scam artist comes out on top.
Debt repair scams - Offers for miraculous credit repair are common in radio, TV, newspaper, direct mail advertising and on the Internet. Some of the schemes require consumers to pay large fees upfront and in return may promise to erase any blemishes on credit records, get new Social Security numbers for clients or allow consumers to piggyback on someone else's credit record. BBB warns that no one can legally remove accurate and timely negative information from a credit report. However, you can dispute something you believe is inaccurate, and you don't need a credit repair company to help with that. Go to www.annualcreditreport.com to check out your credit report and get more information.
Viruses/worms/Trojans - Scam artists are using e-cards to infect consumer's computers. The e-cards may say from a family member or friend, but when they are activated, the consumer's computer is infected with a virus, worm or Trojan. Consumers should never click on links or open anything via e-mail if they don'y know who it is from.
Phishing scams - The victim receives an e-mail that appears to be from a credible bank, credit card company, PayPal or the IRS, with links to a Web site and a request to update information. The site is fake, and the scam artist is trying to get personal information.
Vishing scams - The con artist sends a blast e-mail, disguised to appear as though it is from a financial institution. Typically, it reports a security problem with the recipient's account and urges the victim to call a telephone number to straighten things out. When the victim calls, they reach an automated attendant prompting them to enter their account number, password or other private information for security verification purposes. A prerecorded message or sometimes a live employee claims the victim's account has been compromised or needs updating or verification. The victim is asked to enter their account information, which is digitally transcribed onto the hard drive of the scammer's computer.
Free gas scams - As gas prices hit record highs in 2008, scam artists did their part to try to take advantage of consumers by telling them they won free gas. In one scheme, consumers received postcards in the mail for a $300 gas card. All they had to do was send $29.95 to get the card. What's free about that? In another free gas scheme, consumers received phone calls offering them a free gas card, and then the scam artist asked for the consumer's bank account information for fees. Never, ever give this information to someone you don't know and trust.
Overpayment scams - Scam artists, or buyers respond to classified ads in the newspaper or online auction sites offering to buy high ticket items like a car, or even a pet. The scam artist wants to pay with a cashier's check, personal check or corporate check. At the last minute, the so-called buyer (or the buyer's agent) comes up with a reason for writing the check for more than the purchase price, and asks the consumer to wire back the difference after depositing the check. Later, the consumer finds out the check was bogus, owes the bank money and could even be out the item.
Mortgage foreclosure rescue scams - Typically, homeowners facing foreclosure are contacted directly by a mortgage foreclosure rescue company or come across a Web site while searching for help to stop foreclosure on their homes. The companies claim they can negotiate the terms of their mortgages and stop foreclosure actions, or the homeowners will get their money back. Victims, who were desperate to keep their homes, paid as much as $1,300 to the rescue companies. In the end, the companies did very little work or often nothing at all. Most victims not only lost their homes, but they also have not been able to get promised refunds.
Work-at-home scams - Often advertised in newspaper classified ads or online as paid work from home. After the worker applies, they are asked for money up-front to pay for materials, and after paying, they hear nothing back.
For more information on these scams, go to www.bbb.org or call 800-388-2222.