By Scott Aurnou
Cyber criminals hackers and scammers use ‘phishing’ attacks to steal personal, financial and/or log in information. This can be done in a few ways, including via email or text message (referred to as ‘smishing’).
Image courtesy of Denise Ellen Pordy
These attacks frequently contain links to websites that look legitimate but are really there to steal your account log in information or host malware ready to attack your computer. These emails and messages can also be used to lure you into contact with scam artists posing as potential clients or officials offering to release substantial funds to you if only you would be so kind as to give them detailed personal information or a sum up front. Some of these attacks are actually very well crafted. Some not so much. And some border on the ridiculous. Each month at The Security Advocate, we will present a number of examples, along with explanations of what to look out for to avoid falling victim to one of the scams.
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While you should always regard any unsolicited email appearing to come from a bank with suspicion, this one is a fairly well-designed phishing attack. It includes an accurate-looking bank logo and is relatively well-written. It’s still fake, though. The threat of a locked account is a fairly typical one used by scammers and is intended to scare you into immediate action. Invariably, you can ‘reauthorize your account’ if you just give the sender your personal and/or log in information. Never do this. The threat is fake. The message does not come from Wells Fargo, your account is not locked and ‘reauthorizing’ it is simply giving your information to cyber criminals. If you are at all concerned when you receive a message like this, contact the bank directly, using the telephone number on the back of your bank card or one of your bank statements. You can also go directly to the bank’s website to check. Just don’t try to go through anything in the email.
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