Online Crime
Phishing
Phishing is the practice of sending fraudulent e-mail messages to addressees requesting them to supply
confidential information. The message can be directed at a smaller number of targeted recipients, but is
most often mass-mailed or "spammed" to thousands of potential victims. The e-mail is disguised to look
like a request from a legitimate organization such as a thrift, a credit card company, or a retail merchant
with which recipients may already have a business relationship. Often the message includes a warning
regarding a problem related to the recipient's account and requests the recipient to respond by providing
specific confidential information. The format of the e-mail typically includes proprietary logos and
branding, a "From" line disguised to appear as if the message came from a legitimate sender, and a link to
a website or a link to an e-mail address. All of these features are designed to assure the recipient that the
e-mail is from a legitimate business source when in fact, the information submitted will be sent to the
perpetrator.
Victims may be directed to provide personal account information by responding to the e-mail, or they
may be directed to click on a link that takes them to a legitimate looking webpage containing a form on
which they are instructed to provide the information. Typically, the information requested includes items
such as account numbers, passwords, PINs, Social Security numbers or other personal identifying
information that will allow the perpetrator to gain access to the victim's accounts, steal the victim's
identity, sell the information to others seeking to do the same, or all of these.
Because email and telephone communications are not secure, Peoples Savings and Loan will never request any customer information by either email or telephone. If you receive any email or telephone solicitations for your Peoples' account information, please contact us as soon as possible.
|
