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Computer Breach Attacks Downeast Energy

Recently, a computer breach victimized Downeast Energy by gaining an illicit access to one of its accounts at Key Bank.

According to Downeast, the infringement was the outcome of a well-designed alleged "phishing" scam, wherein the perpetrators sent fake e-mail convincing a Downeast employee to reveal bank account details.

As explained by the company's President, John Peters, the method undertaken for the phishing scam involved a spoof e-mail purporting to be coming from the Bank. The e-mail asked to access a website to update account information, as reported by wcsh6.com on September 14, 2009.

Peters further said that unfortunately, one of the company's employees accessed that fraudulent website that enabled the crooks to obtain username and password required for the authentic Key Bank account, thereby gaining success in draining out $150,000 from the account.

In addition, as said by Peters, the illegally accessed account used to hold automatic payments from the customers via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). This implies that the questioned account also included some information on around 800 customers who are facilitated with EFT arrangement with Downeast Energy.

The perpetrators, therefore, could have obtained some crucial and personal information of the company's electronic accounts clientele, like their names, banks, and account numbers.

Moreover, according to State financial regulators, the breach has left businesses, banks and clientele in a big trouble. Will Lund, Superintendant, Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, said that every year the level of shrewdness increases, as per the news published on mpbn.net on September 14, 2009. The Superintendant added that these hypothetical bank websites are entirely fabricated. They are so well-designed that the users don't even suspect for once before revealing their sensitive credentials.

At last, Downeast Energy does realize the fact that this crime incorporates several other banks and companies. It understands that the geographical stretch of the crime extends beyond Maine (New England), and has global penetration.

Finally, Peters said that the Downeast Energy incident is yet another big lesson for all businesses to be more observant in safeguarding their bank account details so that they their customers and they themselves remain free the fear of losing their hard-earned money.

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