FBI issues warning on fake customer service sites

August 5, 2010 – 9:18 am

The FBI, the Federal Trade Commission and Earthlink have jointly issued a warning regarding the growing number of Internet thieves using “phishing” and “spoofing” to steal your identity.

In an FBI press release, investigators wrote that bogus e-mails that attempt to trick customers into giving out personal information are the hottest scam on the Internet. The FBI’s Fraud Complaint Center has seen a steady increase in complaints that involve some form of unsolicited e-mail directing customers to a phony “customer service” type of Web site.

“Spoofing” or “phishing” frauds attempt to make Internet users believe they are receiving e-mail from a trusted and specific source, or that they are connected to a secure site. Spoofing is generally use as a means to convince individuals to provide personal or financial information that enables thieves to commit credit card or bank fraud, or other forms of identity theft.

In e-mail spoofing, the header of an e-mail appears to have originated from somewhere other than the actual source. Spam distributors and criminals often use spoofing in an attempt to get recipients to open and respond to their solicitations.

If you encounter an unsolicited e-mail that asks you for personal financial or identity information, exercise extreme caution. If you need to update such information online, use the normal process you’ve used before, or open a new browser window and type in the Web site address of the legitimate company’s account maintenance page.

If a Web site address is unfamiliar, it’s probably not real. Report fraudulent or suspicious e-mail to your Internet service provider.

Most companies will require you to log in to a secure site. Look for the lock at the bottom of your browser and “https” in front of the Web site address. If you have doubts about an e-mail or Web site, contact the company directly, and give them the link to request if it is legitimate.

If you have been victimized, contact your local police or sheriff’s department, and file a complaint with the FBIs Internet Fraud Complaint Center.

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