Scammers Use "Vishing" (Email and Voice Technology) to Stay Ahead of the Game

The Better Business Bureau warns of the latest scam known as "vishing" - short for "voice phishing."

Here's how it works: Because scammers know that by now most experienced Internet users know better than to click on imbedded hyperlinks in strange e-mails for fear of being "phished" and having their identities stolen, the scammers now send emails with "local" or toll-free numbers. Posing as a bank or credit card company official in the email, the scammer provides a "local" or toll-free number for his targeted victim to call to straighten out some alleged security matter regarding the victim's account.

(Note: Male or female, young or old, it doesn't matter; the scammer doesn't discriminate when it comes to his victims. The only form of discrimination one will find is in terms of ease of manipulation or victimization.)

When the victim calls, he reaches an automated attendant prompting him to enter his account number, password or other private information for "security verification" purposes.

According to the BBB, there are several steps you can take to protect yourself against these scams. Here are some tips they offer:

Look and listen for any of these telltale signs:

• There is an implied urgency. What to do: If you receive a "vishing" phone call in follow-up to a recent "vishing" e-mail, hang up immediately. Then call your bank, using the phone number on the back of your debit or credit card to report the matter.
  
  
• They ask you to verify account information. What to do: Be aware that banks do not use prerecorded messages to handle security issues. If they telephone you to report suspicious use of your card, they do not need to request identifying information because they already have that on record.



• They may contain misspellings. What to do: Report and/or discard immediately. If you are not sure, call your bank for clarification.



• They include "local" or toll-free numbers. What to do: Do not automatically trust a phone number based on its local area code. Con artists can hack into Caller ID systems, and VoIP users can assign any area code to a phone number.

Finally, if you think you have been a victim of a "vishing" scam, visit the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Information Web site at www.FTC.gov/ for more information and reporting assistance.