Cybercriminals Exploit Bank Deals
If you want to see one way the mess on Wall Street is affecting Main Street, check your in box: Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the financial crisis by sending so-called phishing emails that pretend to be from recently-acquired banks.
Most banks rarely contact customers via email, and if they do, they don't ask customers to click on a link and confirm personal information -- the hallmark of a phishing scam. These schemes still work from time to time, but most customers know their banks' email policies. However, customers probably don't know the policies of other banks, which may be an issue because of the recent bank mergers.
In the wake of the recent crisis, banks may have neglected to tell customers about what changes will be made to their online-banking setups. Cybercriminals are trying to fill that void, says Andy Klein, a product manager at tech-security company SonicWall Inc.
One phishing email tells customers of Washington Mutual Inc. and Chase, the subsidiary of JP Morgan Chase & Co., that because of the merger of these two banks, customers need to go Chase's Web site and update their account information. The email contains a link to a site that looks like Chase.com, but is really operated by a criminal.
The emails aren't much different from older attacks, but they're topical. "You might be very leery of this, but given the circumstances of the time, you might say this is the most efficient way to update your account," Mr. Klein says. For help with cyber criminals, IT issues, E-mail marketing, newsletter distribution or internet marketing, contact this Michigan SEO Firm.
