Scammers Using Clever Schemes to Try to Get Your Personal Financial Information-Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
Various emails, telephone calls, or letters claiming to be from financial institutions, retailers, or websites and saying that they need you to verify your personal financial information. Some of them say your credit card may have been used in a fraudulent transaction that they are calling to unravel the details. Some claim that you must periodically verify your information in order to keep using their services.
The Truth:
There are numerous emails warning of this activity. Some even are disguised to look as thought they have come from people you might recognize, like Hillary Clinton or FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III.
We haven’t verified whether each of the specific personal stories in the eRumors is true…but the bottom line is there is a lot of activity by clever crooks to try to trick you into revealing credit card numbers, personal identification (PIN) numbers, Social Security numbers, ATM codes, and any other information that will either give them access to your money or allow them to misuse your credit cards or steal your identity financially.
It’s a procedure that has come to be known as “Phishing.”
It is an attempt on the part of scammers to trick you into going to their website by telling you that you are either going to lose your credit privileges or there has been fraudulent use of your credit card.
If you respond to the link or telephone number provided, it asks you to confirm your information including your credit card data.
It is a scam that is designed to trick you into given personal and financial information to people who will misuse it and, perhaps, steal your identity.
Various emails have claimed to be from VISA, Mastercard, PayPal, Best Buy, Citibank, and other financial institutions. One of them simply refers to your “U.S. Bank.”
Another version of this eRumor that said it was from PayPal was actually considered a virus.
CLICK HERE for more on that.
Posted 10/07/11 Updated 11/18/13