Sophisticated Phishing Scams
August 13, 2008 – 12:01 pmOne of the most primitive methods identity thieves use to get personal information is to trick their victims into just giving it to them. Most phishing scams are fairly transparent, and can easily be seen through by discerning targets. For example, an African prince once offered me 15 million dollars if I would just share my bank account information with him so he could transfer it to me. Now identity thieves are using far more advanced and successful phishing scams. In one current phishing scam, identity thieves pose as representatives of the credit card companies who notify you that your identity has been compromised. They gain your trust and get your personal information in the process of helping you clear up the alleged theft.
A friend of mine recently received an unexpected phone call from a representative of her bank saying her debit card had been used to rack up various charges online, and they suspected identity theft. The representative gave his name, contact information, phone number, and everything she needed to verify that he was indeed a company employee. He talked her through the entire process as if he had been working his job for years and did it every day. He knew and understood every part of the inner workings of the process and rattled off most of her personal information for her to confirm. When he asked her to verify who she was by giving some of her information, she said he should already have that. He explained that policy doesn’t allow him to share that info because of security issues. Naturally the whole process happened very quickly and the thief preyed on the stress and confusion the whole event had caused.
Soon after my friend got off the phone with him, she realized the conversation didn’t seem quite right. She called the credit card company and they told her they had no idea who this man was and there were no possible identity theft incidents on her card. They went on to explain that a representative for a credit card company will NEVER ask for any of your personal information. They have it all on screen and policy does not allow them to ask the customer for it. She ended up cancelling the card before any damage could be done with it. If she had not acted immediately, she could have lost a great deal of money.
Unfortunately because of the anonymity of the internet and phone system, identity thieves can boldly scam people and get away with it. It is almost impossible for authorities to trace them even when they are exposed. This leaves them free to keep phishing until they find someone who will fall for their scams.
Tags: identity theft, LifeLock, Phishing Scams
