ScamsOnline

Public warned about ID theft e-mail scam

BALTIMORE, Md. - A new e-mail scam has surfaced recently. The Social Security Administration has received several reports of an e-mail message being circulated addressed to "Dear Social Security Number And Card owner" and purporting to be from the Social Security Administration. The message informs the reader "that someone illegally is using your Social Security number and assuming your identity" and directs the reader to a Web site designed to look like Social Security's Internet Web site

Independent Committee of Eminent Persons (ICEP)

Have you heard the phrase "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is"? There is a scam floating around on the Internet that certainly qualifies. It claims that the strangely titled (and fictitious) "Independent Committee of Eminent Persons" has found millions of dollars that you can claim.

The scam e-mail is humorous. Here are some of the claims:

A New Phishing Scam

Phishing takes on a whole new meaning when an identity thief takes your personal information. As Bill Gephardt explains identity thieves are now trying to pose as the good guys in this expensive scam.

Phishing has been around for a while now. It's when you get a letter, phone call, or in this case, an email with an excuse to ask for your personal information.

Now those Phishing for that information are pretending to try to protect it but in reality they're asking you to give it up... as they say... for the sake of security.

What a flim flam!

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A Phone Call from Jail

This is not an online scam but it deserves some publicity. In a new telephone scam, unknown person(s) calling people at random. Upon answering the telephone a recorded message says "This is a collect phone call from the County Jail from (name of supposed inmate is given)." The message then disconnects. Two or three days later, the phone rings again with a recorded message that says, "if you received a call from the County Jail please call this 1- 800 - number for important information concerning the call."

Phishers Slip Through Web Loopholes

Despite the continued efforts of researchers, security providers and online businesses to discourage phishing schemes and shut down related Web sites, some criminals are still able to flout the system and find ways to keep their illicit operations up and running.

An example of one type of phishing attempt that still manages to frustrate do-gooders appeared online in early November, in the form of a Christmas-themed Web site that mimics the name, look and feel of online auctioneer eBay Inc. in an effort to steal its customers' account and password information.

Microsoft Phishing Filter To Protect Private Info

Phishing (pronounced "Fishing") is one of the fastest growing threats on the Internet and a form of identity theft. It refers to high-tech scams using phony web sites with actual brands designed to steal valuable personal information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and Social Security numbers.

Phishers use many tactics including creating and sending links to fraudulent Web sites or e-mail messages that appear to be valid in an attempt to fool you into submitting personal, financial, and password information.

Phishing for Dollars

Cybercriminals are coming up with increasingly clever ways to swindle cash. One method, called phishing, involves e-mails that look like they're from reputable outfits such as banks or government agencies. The messages are designed to coax sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers and account PINs, that can be used to defraud unsuspecting victims. The number of newly reported phishing campaigns climbed to 15,820 in October from 13,562 in September and 6,957 the same month a year earlier, according to the Anti-Phishing Working Group, an industry association that includes banks and technology vendors.

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Hackers shift focus to financial gain

Internet criminals want your computer, your money and your identity. And their tactics are becoming increasingly refined and organized, according to security experts.

The prime objective for hackers and online thieves has shifted from largely hitting major corporate networks to gaining control of home desktops, both to steal data and collect processing power.

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