E-mail Scam Targeting West Virginia Residents, Warns AG

Patrick Morrisey Attorney General of West Virginia has issued an alert to inhabitants of the place for being vigilant of scammers attempting at exploiting them because they're still to get their new debit/credit card chips, reported wvrecord.com dated December 1, 2015.

Incidentally, scammers who pretend to be the card company have been e-mailing potential victims telling that they (West Virginia residents) can get his/her debit/credit card chip only by making his/her account up-to-date via a confirmation of certain personal information alternatively via following a given web-link for doing the verification required.

Unfortunately, providing the personal info in response to the e-mail lets the scammer commit ID-theft. Alternatively, following the web-link can lead to malware being downloaded onto the victim's computer that can result in many things like machine crash-down, interception of the user's online activity, theft of personal information for deceptive operations, or use of the device for distributing spam.

Therefore according to Morrisey, end-users require knowing certain important tips incase they're recipients of the above kind of e-mail asking for confirmation of chip card requirement.

Any electronic mail alternatively telephone call requesting the user for giving his card number must be discarded for, no card issuer ever gets in touch with the card-holder for validation of personal information prior to giving him/her fresh chip card.

Recipients not yet sure the e-mail coming to him/her is a scam message must talk to his card issuer by dialing only those phone numbers which are on his/her card.

Web-links in e-mails mustn't be thought as real at first glance. Personal information should be provided solely via the company's website. Such a website must be examined to know if it's secure i.e. the web-address in the URL should start with https where 'letter "s" means secure.

AG Morrisey describes these scammers as extremely convincing; therefore his office advises that end-users forever maintain calmness and use every caution while providing their financial else other private details over phone or e-mail.

Meanwhile, anybody believing he has been victimized with the scam must talk to Consumer Protection Unit of the AG by dialing 1-800-368-8808 else visiting the URL www.ago.wv.gov.

» SPAMfighter News - 12/9/2015