First off, I don’t answer my cell phone if I don’t know the number calling.  I quit answering when I didn’t know the number years ago because when I first got my number I kept getting calls from people trying to reach the previous number or sell me stuff.  I figure if the caller really wants to talk to me they will leave a message.

I’m never going to know who the 000-0000 number is because I will never answer the phone and they will never leave a message.

It’s probably a telemarketer or someone vishing.  Vishing is phone based phising where someone calls you or you get a recorded message that tries to get you to give up personal information.

I’m not interested in buying anything from a telemarketer nor do I plan to give personal information out over the phone to someone I don’t know.  If the 000-0000 caller is in either group than they are wasting their time on me.

Another possibility is that the person is using the internet to call me.  I don’t think this is likely, though, because if it was someone I knew they would leave a message.

Anyway, if you ever get a call from any area code 000-0000 then don’t answer.  It’s 90% likely that the caller wants to sell you something or steal your identity.

Be aware, I don’t blame the company at all for these e-mails. This company’s reputation is basically being attacked by these jerks. I’m including it so that if anyone else gets a similar e-mail they’ll know that it’s junk and delete it.

I’m also posting this because the fraudulent asses are really pressing the “Danger! Fraud!” angle to try to legitimize their pitch.

The subject for this e-mail was “IMPORTANT NOTICE! PLEASE READ! “PHISHING” ALERT”

This is the e-mail

IMPORTANT NOTICE! PLEASE READ! “PHISHING” ALERT

Recently, members of the Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc. received a phony email which looks as if it was sent by Susquehanna, and directing them to a web site that is a counterfeit copy of the real Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc. web site. There, members were asked to input their credit card numbers and PIN. DO NOT DIVULGE THIS INFORMATION!

We will never send you an email asking for this sensitive information, which, by the way, we already have. The email itself is not harmful, and can safely be deleted like any other piece of junk email. Authorities are currently working to shut down the counterfeit site, which is located overseas. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter!

For your security, your account has been temporarily locked out of the system. You will not be able to make purchases with your card while this lock is in place. Please call customer service line at 1-800-643-1651 for further assistance.

Copyright © 2008 Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc. | Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc. 26 N. Cedar Street Lititz, PA 17543-7000

The address and the company both are legitimate. They are the only things in the e-mail that are legitimate. The phone number is not a Susquehanna Bancshares, In. number. That was easily verified by going to the company’s website.

The website has a warning about phishing attempts and actually provides a good deal of information about various ways people might try to steal your identity. Susquehanna also asks that if you get any e-mails claiming to be from them to forward them to reportfraud@susquehanna.net.

If you get an e-mail like this from a company that you do business with, don’t call the number in the e-mail. Find a statement from the company and get the number from the statement. That way you know the number is legitimate. If you get a phone call making a similar claim don’t give the caller any information. Once again, you want to get a bill and get the number from there to call back.

Sadly, we can’t trust anyone these days. Too many assholes are out there trying to steal other people’s identities.

Technorati Tags: vishing

“Vishing” occurs when you receive a automated phone call or an e-mail that says that your account or debit card has been compromised in some way. You could be told the card will be “temporarily locked out of the system” until you resolve the problem. You’re given a number to call to resolve the problem.

The number takes you to an automated answering program that asks for your account number or debit card number to verify the account.   You will probably also be asked for the same type of information requested in typical “phishing” scams.

If you receive an e-mail, it may start out like this one

We are aware that some of our members have received fraudulent e-mails stating to click on a link to address an issue with their account. Please do not respond to this e-mail. It is not from XXXXXXXXXXX.

Be warned, it has even been reported that large scale “vishing” operations may have set up a “call center” with people pretending to work for the company in question.

I received one of these e-mails today.  It was from a bank that I had never heard of and it was sent to an e-mail account that I rarely use.

By the way, it was sent to a gmail account.  I have two gmail accounts.  One I use for this blog.  The other is the one I rarely use.  Neither account is used for personal information.

I found this advice when I was looking into information about “vishing”

If you have a question concerning your account or credit/debit card, you should contact your bank using a telephone number obtained independently such as; from your statement, a telephone book, or another independent means.

It is excellent advice.  You should do that  if the questionable request comes by e-mail or phone.

Technorati Tags: vishing

Technorati Tags: Fox News, Frank Luntz

When I posted about this on Thursday I reported that I couldn’t find anything definite. One thing I also did was send a copy of the e-mail to the Urban Legends Reference Pages aka Snopes.com.

In today’s “What’s New” section at Snopes.com it has information about this incident. This is what they had to say

Many web sites offer a service that allows a user to send a customized “greeting card” (or “postcard” to a relative, friend, or acquaintance, delivered as an e-mail message containing a hyperlink which the recipient follows to visit the originating site and view the card. Sending out phony e-card notifications is therefore an effective method of camouflaging viruses and inducing unwitting recipients into clicking on links that install malicious programs onto their computers.

A wave of malicious messages (like the one reproduced above) sent out in June 2007 employed that very technique, arriving in inboxes bearing subject lines such as “You’ve received a postcard from a family member!” in an attempt to induce recipients into clicking links that install a variant of the Storm Trojan, “an aggressive piece of malware that has been hijacking computers to serve as attacker bots” since early in 2007.