Most of us have heard about "phishing" scams that are out there. These scams work by sending you e-mails that tell you that:
- You have won a foreign lottery and need to send money and/or bank information in order to get your winnings.
- A bank has discovered unusual activity with your account and as a result they are freezing and/or limiting access to your account until you send information to verify who you are. Often asking for account numbers, passwords, and personal identification numbers (PINS).
- Some official in Nigeria or another company has millions and he wants you to help him get the money out of the country.
- And sometimes the phishing refers to an account you have on the internet like CraigsList or EBay, but with the same goal. They want you to supply them with usernames and passwords so that they can take over your accounts.
- They can also say that they are from some member of your family who is in trouble and needs money wired to him or her. Always to a foreign country where it can never be retrieved. And we are talking about $10,000 and MORE!
- And there are new trickier scams being invented every day just to fool you and steal your money. So be careful!
In all of these cases, the perpetrators have sent out MILLIONS, and I do mean MILLIONS, of these messages, hoping that just one or two person will be fooled and will mail the crooks their credit card numbers and passwords. Usually within minutes, charges will start appearing on your card from all over the country and the world. And trust me, it is a HUGE MESS to straighten out. DO NOT GIVE OUT ANY INFORMATION!
Again, NEVER give out any information to these phishing schemes. Your bank is not going to contact you via the internet to straighten out problems. Even if they do call you, they will likely ask you to come into the bank and will not ask you for sensitive information over the phone. They will send you a letter via regular mail in most cases. If you do not believe me, ask your bankers. They will tell you!
Now I have been informed that a new type of phishing is occurring. It involves your Smart Phones. People are receiving either automated calls or text messages saying the same things that the above phishing examples stated.
They will likely tell you that some bank account or internet account you may, or may not have, is being abused in some way. They then ask you to either click on a link where you can confirm your personal information or they ask you to send them a text message reply with the information. What is funny is that these thieves send these out to everyone, whether you have an account at that bank or not. I have received several saying my Bank of America account has been frozen. Ha, I do not even have an account with Bank of America. I never have.
Again, keep in mind that your bank or E-bay, etc is not going to contact you this way. So DO NOT respond. Do not even click on links out of curiosity. You could get your phone infected with a virus or spyware. Yes, smart phones can get viruses just like computers do. You do not need those hassles. By the same token, DO NOT call any of the numbers in the messages. These could be fake numbers that will be answered by the thieves, not your bank.
If a message does worry you, then call your bank using the phone number from one of your bank statements or from the phone book. You can also go into the bank office in person. That way you can ease your mind and be sure that your personal information is not getting into the wrong hands. Your bank knows all about these types of scams, and I am sure that they will be more than willing to ease your worried minds.
So be safe when you use your Smart Phones and the internet. They are great tools, but like any tool, they can be abused. Do not fall victim to the "wolves" that are waiting for you out there. Protect yourselves and others who may not be aware of these dangers!
If I can be of further assistance, do not hesitate to contact me: JOHN ELWELL - REALTOR at CENTURY 21 Bill Nye Realty, Inc. 813-783-4444 or by e-mail: jelwell1@tampabay.rr.com. I also invite you to stop by my main webpage at: www.jelwell.century21bnr.com Licensed in Florida.
