Phishing Scam Riddling Arkansas Internet Users

According to a latest news report from Arkansas (US), Internet users are recommended to be cautious of an ongoing phishing e-mail scam.

The warning was issued after the users received an e-mail that claimed to be coming from their respective e-mail service providers, such as Gmail or SBS Global. The phishing e-mail text informs the users that their e-mail account is facing some problem.

As mentioned in the e-mail, problems may vary from frequent attempt to change the password, illegal use of the account, a foreign system trying to change the password, etc.

To deal with the problem, the user is asked to verify if he/she is the owner of the account, for which the user needs to provide his/her name, date of birth, address, e-mail username and password.

Dustin McDaniel, Attorney General of Arkansas, said that this scam is particularly tricky because it targets user's concern over identity theft to commit that offense, as reported by arkansasmatters.com on September 19, 2009.

McDaniel strongly suggested users not get anxious if they face any such trouble with their e-mail accounts, or even receive one of these phishing e-mails.

The aforementioned phishing scam is a simple and suitable example to demonstrate how fraudsters time and again come up with innovative means to hoax online users into surrendering their important information, further indicating in the continuous upsurge in phishing scams.

A noteworthy tip to avoid falling into the trap of the phishing scam is not to respond to requests regarding personal information through e-mails. If the users feel something suspicious, the matter should be immediately reported to the service or institution purporting to be the sender of the e-mail, like in this case Gmail or SBC global can be contacted to ensure the e-mail's credibility. They should visit the company's website for correct contact information in case they don't know how to get in touch with it, as the companies generally have specific e-mail address to report abuse.

Users are further advised to be alert and well-informed. They must visit the websites by typing the URL in the address bar and check for any kind of information provided on the e-mail service asking the subscribers to be wary of.

Related article: Phishing With A Redirector Code

» SPAMfighter News - 10/15/2009