2. SafeSpaceOnline.com
Scams involving email continue to plague
consumers across America, indeed the
world. These so called "phishing" scams
involve "spoofed" emails meant to draw the
unwary to bogus internet sites
masquerading as legitimate sites. These
scam artists -- phishers -- attempt to hook
visitors in by having them divulge certain
critical and personal bits of information.
Once the information has been divulged the
phishers start their dirty work and you have
been conned. Several phishing scams
continue to persist, the following are three
of the most pervasive ones.
3. SafeSpaceOnline.com
1. Financial Institutions. It is highly likely that you have
already received this type of notice which appears to
have come from your financial institution. It goes
something like this: We are glad to inform you, that our
bank has a new security system. The new updated
technology will ensure the security of your payments
through our bank. Hoping you understand that we are
doing this for your own safety, we suggest you to
update your account , this update will maintain the
safety of your account. All you have to do is complete
our online secured form. Thank you .
Company Logo
4. SafeSpaceOnline.com
Comment: No financial institution will require
you to respond to an email asking you to
update your account. In addition, I left in the
typos, punctuation errors, and overall poorly
worded request just as it is. Finally, many of
these scams do not go to account holders as
the phishers spam email accounts in the hope
that someone will take the bait.
5. SafeSpaceOnline.com
2. Paypal Account. This scam is giving
Paypal/eBay fits as its says that billing
information must be updated by you,
the recipient of the notice. Verbiage is
included whereby "Paypal" threatens to
close your account if you do not
respond, money will be withheld, etc.
Comment: The first time I saw this
note, I thought: huh?! The nerve of
Paypal! However, I forwarded the letter
to Paypal who confirmed its scammy
nature.
6. SafeSpaceOnline.com
3. ISP Fraud. An internet service provider has seen a number of "their" letters surface in emails
around the US. A common request goes something like this: Dear Comcast customer,
We recently attempted to charge your account but we seem to receive an error when charging your
card. This sometimes occurs for a variety of reasons including card expiration, over limit, suspicion of
fraud, or several other technical difficulties. Please visit the Comcast Service Center, by clicking on the
hyperlink shown below, and update your information so this issue can be resolved.
Comcast Service Center
Thank you,
Chris Hammonds
Comcast Service Department
Comment: Another request to obtain valuable information belonging to you. I have seen 3-4 variations
of this letter, all allegedly from Comcast.
Oftentimes, phishers will go to great lengths to copy the company's logo and other pertinent
information and include that within the email. Almost without fail they provide a link for you to click
on so that you will go to a site thinking that it is legitimate.
Once at the scam site, all kinds of questions will be asked of you including: social security number,
credit card information, your address, and more. The more information you give, the easier it will be
for you to become a victim of identity theft as the perpetrators assume your identity and open up
multiple accounts in your name.
Usually the consumer knows nothing of the scam until they receive letters demanding payment for
accounts opened up in their name, calls from creditors, and rejected credit applications because of
assumed bad credit.
The best defense, of course, is to not respond to the email. However, you can play an important part
in stopping phishing fraud by forwarding a copy of the message to the company being mimicked. Their
fraud department will be grateful and you will help them [as well as policing authorities] in their
quest to stop phishers in their tracks.
