Phishing for YOUR money!
Nothing disappoints me more than to get an email where someone is phishing for my banking information. I get at least 3-4 a week, and I can see how some folks might be fooled by what is written. Fortunately for you there are some simple ways you can quickly find out if the email is bogus or not.
Many times the email will be directed toward making you feel nervous that your private information is in jeopardy. Phishers do this to prompt you to act quickly so you won’t take a deeper look into certain aspects that would give away their trick. The best piece of advice that I can suggest is: Always be skeptical about emails claiming to be your bank, utilities, or other online accounts.
In the example below, I show an email I received from a scammer claiming to be Bank of America. Now, if I had an account with BoA, I would certainly pay attention and open this email. Of course, they always claim it has something to do with my protection and that’s a key indicator that I should be skeptical.
First, check out the From line to see who the email address is from...they put some non-descript "gobbly-goo" there to make it look like it is official account info, yet another clue. Down in the link below they spell out the link so it actually looks like it’s coming from Bank of America. This is the kink in their armor and where you can find out if the link is bogus or not.
Here is a little more in depth account of what is actually happening. Roll over the web address, you will see that the blue underlined link and the rollover link are not the same. It says http://www.bankofamerica.com.onlinebankingid713576..., but you can see the “.” instead of the "/" between the “bankofamerica.com” and “onlinebankingid713576”…this means it is a sub folder of another web address which in this example ends up being - .Onsentro.biz/.
If the link was actually real, it would have said http://www.bankofamerica.com/...then whatever else. To protect yourself, always roll over the link before clicking and look for where the first “forward slash” ends up; the real “.com” address should always bump up next to that first forward slash (in the link rollover - as seen in image). This example was especially tricky because you had to rollover the link to see the real address.
One sure fire way to check is to click on the link and see where it goes. On the real website it can go where there is a login form. Notice where the first forward slash is...right after the bankofamerica.com...
Here is a Wachovia login example from the real website - again see where the forward slash starts
The best/safest tip I can give you on this type of email is that, if you are truly worried about your account, go to the website directly by opening an new web browser. Manually type in the address of the bank or whatever online account you want to access (as you know it – NOT the one from the email in question) – hopefully you will already have the original site bookmarked as a Favorite. You can also place a phone call to find out, but NEVER use the phone number provided on email you received either.
This post was originally inspired by the recent Dateline “To Catch a_Con Man” episode on NBC. You can find other scam alerts like this in magazines like Time, Newsweek,
Wired, and even on page 24 of this month’s featured Money magazine. Grab a copy today and check out “The Concierge Con” – it will definitely protect you when you travel.
I hope you have an excellent week!
Sincerely,
Shawn R Pearson
Web Marketing Manager
EBSCO Reception Room Subscription Services
http://www.ebscomags.com
