Voice phishing is latest scam to con consumers

Email this article to a friend

Printable Version

Articles Related to This Article: • Put an end to spam and phishing by reforming email • How to Avoid Real Estate Property Scams in Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica and other Central / South American Countries • Consumer Alert: Hoodia Gordonii weight loss pills scam exposed by independent investigation NaturalNews Store Specials: • Revolutionary new Hurom Slow Juicer at the lowest price on the 'net + FREE shipping! • Certified Organic Nutiva Hemp Seeds at a huge discount (+ FREE bottle of hemp oil) • Omega-3 rich Chia Seeds at under $5 / lb. See more at the NN store...

(NaturalNews) Phishing has quickly grown into one of the most frequent and effective scams on the internet. It works by directing users toward fake websites that trick them into giving up personal information. As this deception has become better known, con artists are moving to a new trick: emails that coax people into calling fraudulent phone numbers.

"The normal way of spoofing is becoming less successful, and fraudsters are always having to look for new ways to do it," said Sara Bettencourt, spokeswoman for the e-commerce site PayPal.

"Voice phishing" con artists are sending emails, masquerading as communications from PayPal or Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, which instructs users to call a phone number that has a computerized voice ask for an account number. Bettencourt says PayPal would never verify an account with that information, and instead asks for phone numbers, email addresses and sometimes a credit card's last four digits.

"When you introduce a second element of communication -- that being the telephone -- it makes it appear to be a more credible effort to confirm or verify information," said Ron O'Brien, senior security analyst at internet security company Sophos, which announced the PayPal-targeted scheme Friday.

Experts recommend customers protect themselves from phishing scams by entering web site addresses into their browser (rather than clicking on provided links) and only calling numbers listed in the phone book or on bank-provided credit cards or statements.

###

Share

Get articles like this delivered to you FREE in our popular email newsletter

Related CounterThink Cartoons:

Related Articles: • Put an end to spam and phishing by reforming email • How to Avoid Real Estate Property Scams in Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica and other Central / South American Countries • Consumer Alert: Hoodia Gordonii weight loss pills scam exposed by independent investigation	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/019603_voice_phishing_cyber_crime.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. Embed article link: (copy HTML code below): <a href = "http://www.NaturalNews.com/019603_voice_phishing_cyber_crime.html">Voice phishing is latest scam to con consumers</a>