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According to the Gartner Research Group, there are nearly two million Americans how have their online banking accounts compromised by unscrupulous hackers and criminals. The average loss per customer is roughly $1,200.
Online banking is a lucrative market for not only the bank themselves, but also the criminals. The fact that access to a bank account requires only a user id and password would mean that someone could easily tap into another person"s financial assets. It"s essentially an open vault once one passes online authorization.
So how do the criminal minds do this? A popular procedure for obtaining bank account credentials is called "phishing". Phishing scams involve emails that appear as if they are from well-known financial institutions like Paypal or Bank of America . The email has a template that resembles the actual logo and background of the bank institution. When a person sees the email, he or she believes it"s a legitimate email.
The email would, under false pretense, provide a reason to go to the bank"s website. For instance, the email would say that your account has been suspended because of an activity. Or, your account has received a large amount of money. Some even say that your account has encountered technical errors. It will provide any compelling reason to get your attention.
Because a response is needed, there will be a link back to a fake site asking for sensitive information such as credit card numbers, passwords, pins, or social security numbers. In fact, it will have the look and feel of the real institution"s site so that the consumer can be fooled.
Banks today are attempting to combat this scam by a number of ways. One, they are trying not to ask you to update your profile through an email. More banks are also asking the customer to call them back, as opposed to requiring them to link back to their site. These are a few things that banks have been doing, but it may not be enough to combat online phishing.
What are the best ways to prevent phishing? Learn how to spot a phishing site by reading the email thoroughly. If you have a hunch that the email is suspicious, do not respond to the email or click on any links. Call the number of your bank from your records.
Also, look at the email address of the suspected email. You may find that the address has nothing to do with the bank"s domain name. Or, you may find that the link"s url does not even go to the actual bank"s url. Remember, they are banking (no pun intended) that you will not pay attention to the specifics due to emotions getting in the way.
Look carefully at the wording and grammar of the message. Is it misspelled or does it have incorrect grammar? If so, chances are that the email is a phishing scam.
If you are a victim of a phishing scam, you will need to be proactive. Contact the financial institution immediately and let them know what had happened. Check your account online as well. Make sure that the balance hasn"t dropped. Knowing how to spot phishing scams and how they work will help you better prevent your online banking account from being compromised.
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Source by
Michael Russell
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