Post by stepper on May 19, 2009 17:57:21 GMT -6
Just when you thought it was safe to use your cell phone, here comes “Smishing” - the use of text messaging to trick people into giving out credit card or other personal info.
It works something like this: you get a short text which threatens you with a charge that can only be canceled by visiting a phony website in the message. Another scam says you need to call a toll-free number to handle the issue. Then the person answering the phone proceeds to get your personal information, financial account numbers, or passwords as part of resolving the problem.
Online spam filters are increasingly more efficient at identifying “phishing” attempts in e-mails, and people are getting savvier about the ones they do receive, so fraudsters are turning to the Short Message Service (SMS) to send announcements with their pitch. There are no effective spam or smishing filters for cell phones yet and many times, intended victims are unable to determine the message’s authenticity because of its shortness.
Just remember: No reputable financial institution or business will contact customers seeking this type of information. If you have questions, then call your bank or credit card issuer directly – do not reply to the SMS or call any of the numbers listed in it.
The first line of defense is the simplest; if it’s an unexpected message, hang up on it.
It works something like this: you get a short text which threatens you with a charge that can only be canceled by visiting a phony website in the message. Another scam says you need to call a toll-free number to handle the issue. Then the person answering the phone proceeds to get your personal information, financial account numbers, or passwords as part of resolving the problem.
Online spam filters are increasingly more efficient at identifying “phishing” attempts in e-mails, and people are getting savvier about the ones they do receive, so fraudsters are turning to the Short Message Service (SMS) to send announcements with their pitch. There are no effective spam or smishing filters for cell phones yet and many times, intended victims are unable to determine the message’s authenticity because of its shortness.
Just remember: No reputable financial institution or business will contact customers seeking this type of information. If you have questions, then call your bank or credit card issuer directly – do not reply to the SMS or call any of the numbers listed in it.
The first line of defense is the simplest; if it’s an unexpected message, hang up on it.
"There are people you meet, who move in and out of your life, like ghosts-- and after they're gone, you find that they've left a part of themselves with you.
