March 15, 2007

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  NEWS: NC Warns of Military ‘Phishing' Scam

  Proving yet again that identity thieves will stoop to pretty much anything in the course of committing fraud, the Attorney General of the state of North Carolina warned military personnel this week that a new scam was targeting them specifically. Roy Cooper issued a statement Wednesday, informing military families that scammers pretending to be officials from Bank of America had been making phishing-scam type phone calls. The calls supposedly inform the person being called that their military bank account has been flagged by the fraud detection department for potential suspicious activity, and that the account will be deleted "for security" unless the caller confirms certain personal information then and there. There is also some indication that crooks are trying to conduct this same scam online, using e-mails and links to a site that looks like a legit Bank of America page.
  
  Of course, this is a scam, and Cooper warned all consumers against responding to it. Legitimate financial institutions will not request personal information either over the phone or by e-mail; solicitation in such a manner is an almost guaranteed indication that you are being scammed. The crooks that aim to get your personal information (especially your account number(s) and/or social security number) will often use it to commit fraud using your name, generally by opening up multiple lines of credit. Cooper advised anyone suspecting a scam to immediately call the hotline that the Office of The Attorney General has set up for the purpose.
  
  
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