FDIC Warns Netizens of Phishing Scam

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) issued an alert on October 26, 2009, according to which, FDIC received numerous complaints of a fake e-mail claiming to be coming from the agency. The e-mail informs the user that his/her bank has collapsed in an attempt to gain the account details through illegal ways.

The FDIC declared unsolicited e-mails sent to the consumers as bogus, and suggested them to ignore these mails rather than following the links provided.

The subject line of the fraudulent e-mail reads - "check your Bank Deposit Insurance Coverage", and the text informs recipients that this e-mail has been sent to them as they are a FDIC-insured bank account holder. It further stated that FDIC has recently listed the recipient's bank as a failed bank; thereby, gaining control over its assets.

Recipients are then asked to click on the fraudulent link provided therein by visiting the FDIC's official website and following the prescribed steps to check their Deposit Insurance Coverage.

This link redirects the recipient to a fake FDIC website; however, the scammers have added link to the original FDIC website at the bottom of the fake page. While clicking on the help link, the visitor will land on the help page of FDIC. Similarly, link to the sitemap displays the FDIC site map.

Greg Hernandez, FDIC spokesperson, urged all the recipients of the fake e-mail to be alert and not to open the link, as per the news published by All Headline News on October 26, 2009. He was also one among those who received such a message. Therefore, he mentioned in his e-mail that this appears to be a phishing scam.

He further added that recipients are required to consider that the purpose of this e-mail is nothing more than obtaining personal or confidential data. Some of the information gained might be used to conduct identity theft or to gain illegal access to online banking accounts of the victims.

FDIC, in the meantime, has shut down over 100 banks in the current year, and most of them are small institutions. Further, around 400 other banks have been reckoned at a risk of failure. However, the phishers and spammers are leaving no stone unturned to make use of this event to fool people via phishing scams.

Related article: FTC Reaches Million-Dollar Settlement For Spyware

» SPAMfighter News - 11/6/2009