Scam Centers On Phishing For Your Bank Account

With appreciation to The Better Business Bureau, the gives you the scam of the week, highlighting the most “popular” scams of 2011:

Top Phishing Scam: “Phishing” is when one receives a suspicious phone call asking for personal information or an email that puts a virus on one’s computer to hunt for data. It is almost impossible to avoid them if you have a telephone or an email account.

Perhaps the most harmful phishing scam this year disguised itself as official communication from NACHA – the National Automated Clearing House Association – which facilitates the secure transfer of billions of electronic transactions every year. The email claims one of your transactions did not go through, and it hopes you react quickly and click on the link before thinking it through.

It may take you to a fake banking site to “verify” your account information, or it may download malware to infiltrate your computer. Of course, in providing that info, you have literally handed over the keys to your accounts.

As always, confirm any requests for information on your personal data. These types of crime are also the most difficult to trace the culprits, and nearly impossible to recover your lost savings.