2008 Woodie Awards
Public Safety warns students on bank-related e-mail 'phishing' fraud
Sara McIntosh
Issue date: 2/20/07 Section: Campus News
After being tipped off by staff members, UTM's Public Safety issued a warning to students to avoid responding to an e-mail appearing to come from Regions Bank.
"Legitimate businesses do not ask for personal or account information because they already have that information on file," said Public Safety's Capt. Ray Coleman.
Regions Bank posted an e-mail fraud warning on its main Web site informing their customers that they are not to respond to or provide any information to e-mails sent to them. They stated on their email fraud protection site that any e-mails sent directly from the company will "never request or verify personal account information, never request that you take any action and never ask you to click on a link in any email" they send to e-mail users.
According to the National Consumers League's 2006 Internet Scam Trends report, identity thieves used e-mail 100 percent of the time as the method of contacting victims in these "phishing" scams.
Opportunists use a legitimately appearing, bogus e-mails, complete with company logo.
They state a problem with the company records, and that the consumer must fill out a form with all personal information in order to remedy the problem. Essentially, the scam is a "phishing" attempt to lure people into providing the wanted information so a person can steal their identity, banking information, or both.
These "phishing" scams target customers of banks, investment firms or lending institutions because many people pay their bills, transfer funds or invest online.
According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group, financial services were the most-targeted industry by these Web criminals in October 2006, netting nearly 93 percent of "phishing" complaints.
Coleman suggested that students never respond to these e-mails. If after being contacted on numerous occasions with the same e-mail, he suggests forwarding the e-mail to the appropriate authorities.
According to a report by the Internet Crime Complaint Center, in order to avoid identity theft, a consumer should always delete unsolicited e-mails or suspicious e-mails that may ask for any personal information or banking information. Safeguarding a person's Social Security number from any online correspondence to unknown or unsecured sites is essential for avoiding any identity theft.
If ever unsure or uneasy, law enforcement officials suggest "following your gut instincts" and protecting yourself because there are many people who would love to get their hands on your money as well as assuming your identity to rack up as much debt as possible.
Regions recommends if a customer has responded to a suspected e-mail to contact them immediately at 1-800-REGIONS. Also, if you receive seemingly fraudulent e-mails, then forward those to phishing@regions.com.
"Legitimate businesses do not ask for personal or account information because they already have that information on file," said Public Safety's Capt. Ray Coleman.
Regions Bank posted an e-mail fraud warning on its main Web site informing their customers that they are not to respond to or provide any information to e-mails sent to them. They stated on their email fraud protection site that any e-mails sent directly from the company will "never request or verify personal account information, never request that you take any action and never ask you to click on a link in any email" they send to e-mail users.
According to the National Consumers League's 2006 Internet Scam Trends report, identity thieves used e-mail 100 percent of the time as the method of contacting victims in these "phishing" scams.
Opportunists use a legitimately appearing, bogus e-mails, complete with company logo.
They state a problem with the company records, and that the consumer must fill out a form with all personal information in order to remedy the problem. Essentially, the scam is a "phishing" attempt to lure people into providing the wanted information so a person can steal their identity, banking information, or both.
These "phishing" scams target customers of banks, investment firms or lending institutions because many people pay their bills, transfer funds or invest online.
According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group, financial services were the most-targeted industry by these Web criminals in October 2006, netting nearly 93 percent of "phishing" complaints.
Coleman suggested that students never respond to these e-mails. If after being contacted on numerous occasions with the same e-mail, he suggests forwarding the e-mail to the appropriate authorities.
According to a report by the Internet Crime Complaint Center, in order to avoid identity theft, a consumer should always delete unsolicited e-mails or suspicious e-mails that may ask for any personal information or banking information. Safeguarding a person's Social Security number from any online correspondence to unknown or unsecured sites is essential for avoiding any identity theft.
If ever unsure or uneasy, law enforcement officials suggest "following your gut instincts" and protecting yourself because there are many people who would love to get their hands on your money as well as assuming your identity to rack up as much debt as possible.
Regions recommends if a customer has responded to a suspected e-mail to contact them immediately at 1-800-REGIONS. Also, if you receive seemingly fraudulent e-mails, then forward those to phishing@regions.com.
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