Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Never give your personal information over the phone
iStockPhoto.com/Lisa F. Young
Here are some tips you can use today to avoid being victimized by phishing schemes.
I mentioned phishing in a past article on identity theft. Phishing originally gained notoriety when scam artists began sending email messages asking an unsuspecting victim to send a fairly large amount of money in return for a check for millions of dollars. Obviously, the check was found to be fraudulent upon arrival, if it ever came at all. After some time, many people caught on to this scam. Undaunted, financial criminals escalated their efforts and switched their tactics. Many of these swindlers have returned to their humble roots and use regular mail, telephone, and their wits to take advantage of unsuspecting victims. Here are three phishing methods that have become popular in Southern Nevada.
Fundamental Phishing
1. The insurance swindler
This rip-off is mostly perpetrated on senior citizens, but anyone can be susceptible. Someone who has gotten hold of your mail calls you at home or sends a document printed on your insurance company’s letterhead. They advise that if you don’t update your personal information, they can’t provide you with much needed coverage. Since health insurance can be difficult to obtain and keep, this scam relies heavily on panic and the fear of being refused medical treatment.
2. The Phony Official
Someone claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service or a law enforcement agency requests your personal information. It’s wise to remember that anyone conducting an official investigation is likely to have obtained your personal information before contacting you or have the ability to get it with very little effort. When I investigate a case, I never ask people for their personal information over the phone.
3. Misleading Email
Email scams have evolved over the years while simultaneously becoming less complex. Phishing scammers have now begun to use subtler tricks to trap victims. Let’s say, for example, that your bank’s domain name is www.123bank.com. A phishing scammer will solicit information from you using www.123.bank.com — hoping you’ll overlook that extra “dot.” If your sister’s email address is “Susie1988@yipee.com,” you might get a message from “Susie1988@coolmail.com” claiming an emergency and asking for money. While some people might notice the difference immediately, plenty of others are fooled. The scammers count on the fact that many of us don’t memorize telephone numbers or email addresses because we can just pull them out of our cell phones’ memory or online address books. When is the last time you typed a full email address? Usually, you’re three letters into it, and helpful “cookies” fill in the rest. Technology can be a double-edged sword, and scammers use this to their advantage.
Always double check before signing anything or completing forms
iStockPhoto.com/Lisa Vanovitch
Avoiding the Con
Here are a few ways you can easily foil the scams I’ve described above. Tell the insurance swindler that you’re busy and will call him back. Later, compare the number he gives you to those on your insurance policy. If they don’t match and you still think the call may have been legitimate, call your insurance company directly. You can also ask the medical professional treating you to verify that everything is fine with your insurance coverage prior to treatment. Both should take your questions seriously, because if there’s one thing insurance companies and government agencies understand better than most, it’s liability. You will never be asked to reveal all of your personal information in an irresponsible manner by a legitimate company or government agency. If your information is somehow “leaked,” the company or agency responsible is required under Nevada Revised Statute to tell you what happened. In the case of insurance agencies, having to acknowledge blame is horrible for business.
If you find yourself dealing with a phony official, ask to meet in person at one of their offices. Someone legitimate will name a location immediately. Fakers will make up excuses and give you more reasons to submit the information over the telephone.
Email messages that have slightly altered domain names or addresses are easy to notice. Even so, they dupe quite a few people. If you aren’t certain that an email message is from the person or business it claims, make a phone call to verify it. Use an original number you already have — not the one provided in the email. A bank will never ask you for all of your personal information via email. In addition, don’t click on links provided in suspicious email. These usually take you to pages that may look exactly like those on your bank’s Web site, but they are really just traps encouraging you to type your information directly into to the thieves’ databases.
Before I conclude, I should mention that everyone should beware that phishing scammers may try to use this year’s U.S. Census to find new victims. Don’t let fear of phishing deter you from participating in the Census. Just be aware of what will be on the official form and how it will be delivered to you. Only certain questions will be asked, and this year there will be only ten. Visit this site to see which questions you can expect.
The world is becoming un-sociably social. Instant messaging, texting, emails, and social networking Internet sites are taking over. Despite this fact, many of today’s phishing scam artists have gone back to relying on wit over technology to accomplish their goals. The scams mentioned above are only a few of the most popular. If there are any others that you know of, please feel free to share with the rest of us.
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