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A New Scam Approach Empowered By Phone

Although most of the web users have already learned not to click on links in unsolicited e-mails, hackers have found another way to trick them ? on the good old phone. Usually the phony e-mails instruct recipients to click a link in the e-mail to confirm their personal information, the link actually connects to a fake site where the data are stolen. The new fake e-mail, that appeared to come from PayPal, EBay Inc.`s online payment service, included no such link, but told users to call a phone number where an automated answering service asked for account information.

Security experts that are tracking this scam and other similar cases, say the frauds are particularly immoral because they imitate the legitimate ways people interact with financial institutions. Some cases begin directly over the phone, when the caller already knows the recipient`s credit card number and asks just for the three-digit security code on the back of the card.

Ron O`Brien, a security analyst with Sophos PLC says that "it`s becoming more difficult to distinguish phishing attempts from actual attempts to contact customers". So in case you get a telephone call where someone is asking you to provide or verify any of your personal information, hang up immediately and call your financial institution with the number on the back of the card.