Interesting Information

[ynotsue at bellsouth.net]

 thought I better send this as an extra caution!  I'm sure you have seen these before but evidently the scammers are
hitting harder because of all the turbulence with financial institutions!  Take care.  Lorie
The FDIC has issued the following Special Alert regarding:Fraudulentphishing e-mails claiming to be from, or related to, financialinstitutions involved in high-profile mergers, acquisitions or failuresare reportedly in circulation.  
Special alert

SA-205-2008 
October 28, 2008 

TO: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 
SUBJECT: Phishing Scams Involving Financial Institutions in the News  
Summary: Fraudulent phishing e-mails claiming tobe from, or related to, financial institutions involved in high-profilemergers, acquisitions or failures are reportedly in circulation.  

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)is warning consumers, businesses and financial institutions to be awareof fraudulent e-mails allegedly from, or related to, financialinstitutions that have been the subject of recent news stories.Phishing e-mails often incorporate aspects of high-profile news stories – such as bank mergers, acquisitions and failures – to create a sense of urgency and legitimacy for requesting information or action.
These types of fraudulent e-mails may requestrecipients to verify computer logon credentials, update personalinformation, or activate new online security features. The fraudulente-mails may include a link that directs the recipient to a fraudulentor "spoofed" Web site that looks similar to the subject institution'slegitimate Web site. Once there, users may be prompted to provideinformation about online banking credentials or other personal andconfidential information that could be used to gain unauthorized accessto online banking services or perpetrate identity theft. These spoofedWeb sites may also direct the user to download software updates ordigital certificates, which may actually be malicious code or softwareattempting to collect online banking credentials or other personal andconfidential information.
Consumers, businesses and financial institutionsshould be wary of unsolicited e-mails purportedly from financialinstitutions recently in the news and take the following precautions:
Do not follow Web links in unsolicited e-mailsfrom apparent financial institutions. Instead, use Web browserbookmarks or type your institution's Web address into the browseraddress bar when accessing your bank's Web site or online bankingservices. 
Always use anti-virus software and ensure thevirus signatures are automatically updated. Ensure the computeroperating system and common software applications are up-to-date withsecurity patches installed. 
Do not open unsolicited or unexpected e-mailattachments claiming to be from a financial institution because of therisk of malicious code or software. As a precaution, call the financialinstitution using an appropriate telephone number, such as one from anaccount statement, to validate the e-mail and attached file beforeopening any attachment. 
Be aware that phishing e-mails frequently use newand innovative ways to trick recipients into providing logoncredentials and confidential information or into unleashing maliciouscode. 
Regularly review financial account statements and immediately report any discrepancies to your institution. 
Be mindful that financial institutions generallydeliver notices to consumers in writing about changes in account termsand conditions unless the consumer previously agreed to receive thenotice electronically. 
For additional information about safe online banking and avoiding online scams, visit http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/guard/.
For your reference, FDIC Special Alerts may be accessed from the FDIC's Web site at www.fdic.gov/news/news/SpecialAlert/2008/index.html. To learn how to automatically receive FDIC Special Alerts via e-mail, please visit www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html.
 Sandra L. Thompson 
 Director
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection 
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