Recently, I received a text from my daughter about an e-mail that appeared to be from her financial institution. The e-mail stated that online access to her bank account would be terminated because she had tried to access her account from several computers. However, she could retain access by clicking on a link. While my daughter's natural reaction was concern that she would lose online access to her bank account, I told her that this was probably a phishing incident.
Unlike the hobby of fishing, phishing is the work of fraudsters. With phishing, fraudsters attempt to dupe a consumer or employee into believing that they must immediately provide personal or private data in response to an e-mail that appears to be (but is not actually) from a legitimate entity. Much like fishing, phishing relies on numerous casts, with the phisher hoping that many of those who receive the e-mail will be fooled and swallow the bait. If they get hooked, malware may be loaded on their computer to monitor their keystrokes and pull out financial service website log-on credentials. Or, in my daughter's case, if she had clicked on the link, it would have most likely taken her to a legitimate-looking web page of the bank and requested her online banking credentials. The volume and velocity by which anyone can send e-mails has created a wide window of opportunity for fraudsters.
In their e-mail, the fraudsters create a sense of urgency by indicating some sort of drastic action will be taken unless the customer acts immediately. Although organizations have repeatedly posted statements that they would never send an e-mail asking for private data, this threatened action often causes the recipient to act without considering the consequences or taking the time to call the company or organization to verify the e-mail's authenticity. If it is not authentic, the individual should immediately delete the e-mail without replying, without clicking on any links embedded in the email, and without opening any attachments.
In addition to the need for consumers and employees to be wary of e-mails that are not legitimate, financial institutions must continually stay abreast of the latest technologies to help combat these schemes and educate customers. In a past post, we discussed steps financial institutions should take to help customers protect themselves from fraudsters. These schemes remain in the news even though banks, businesses, and government entities continue to post educational information and best practices for consumers and employees. As my daughter's example demonstrates, consumers opening bank accounts for the first time are not likely to know these schemes. This example suggests that—in addition to educating both business and consumer customers generally—it would be beneficial for financial institutions to place more emphasis on education concerning these schemes at the time customers open their accounts.
