Phishing E-Mail Reminds Missourians Regarding Unclaimed Property

Clint Zweifel, State Treasurer of Missourians, is alerting residents about a phishing campaign in which an individual or group pretends to be the State Treasurer's assistant and tries to steal users' private information through a bogus e-mail, as per the news published by CLINT ZWEIFEL on November 4, 2009.

According to reports, the e-mail, which claims that there might be unclaimed property for the recipient, solicits personal information.

Security researchers, while describing the scam in detail, stated that the e-mail invites recipients to the largest Lost & Found establishment in Missouri, which was holding over $550 Million worth of unclaimed assets in over three million owner accounts. The e-mail further encouraged recipient to search their property so the office could return it to him/her at the earliest.

However, according to a confirmation by the Office of Administration, there has been no compromise of personal data maintained by the office.

In the meantime, according to Zweifel, he is not certain if the scammers are trying to gather information for committing identity theft or merely trying to grab some money or perhaps for both.

Conversely, Treasurer Officials, as a way to caution Missourians, said that their office didn't ever dispatch unsolicited e-mails about unclaimed property and demanding fee for returning such property is simply out of question.

The officials notified the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) of the phishing campaign so that e-mail providers would automatically start blocking the fraudulent messages.

Eventually, the security researchers concluded by recommending that if anyone has concerns or queries about Missouri untaken property then he/she mustn't hesitate to contact the office of Treasurer Zweifel, or to log on to its official website.

Phishing scams against people using Internet are growing fast. In October 2009, security specialists in a warning asked US citizens to be wary of a phishing e-mail that spoofed America's Internal Revenue Service. Actually, the e-mail requested recipients to furnish their banking and personal information so that they could report their so-called underreported earnings or apply for an additional refund of $62.

Related article: Phishing With A Redirector Code

» SPAMfighter News - 11/17/2009