Science & Technology

Identity Theft? Fishing? Or is it Phishing?

Yes, we hear about it frequently: hackers and fake online services asking for the Username and Password to your bank account (or credit card account). Well, it continues. Here at MLI we constantly warn and hear about customers receiving very official looking emails (with all of the right logos and graphics) saying that their account needs attention or there has been a security breach or change to their account information then asking you to "click here to Login" . In fact, even the "big guys" are getting scammed. The link below goes to an article about how Experian, one of the three main credit bureaus, actually got persuaded by a hacker posing as a private investigator to give access to sensitive identity information to a fictitious online ID Theft service. What is "phishy" here is that it appears that Experian may have been paid through online transfers from Singapore for this.

Just recently at MLI, we came across a very official email with the subject: "Important Banking Alert from Chase". The email said that someone was added to the account for access and to please click "here" to verify or deny the change. The graphics were perfect and very tempting to respond to, but the email address didn't jive. It was claiming to represent Chase Bank but the domain was "mollyandbrandon.com". What? That's not Chase! So, DON'T EVER respond to an email inquiry for your Username or Password for anything; be suspicious and look at the domain name or the email address (if they're not the same as the content, or you don't recognize them as a business or person you regularly deal with, then DELETE IT!).

Article on Experian identity theft:

http://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/10/experian-sold-consumer-data-to-id-theft-service/

Ben Hulet
CEO
Mother Lode Internet, LLC