Phishing Scams Continue to Plague Consumers

We do our best to keep our clients informed on ways to protect themselves from any kind of fraud or identity theft.  A couple of years ago, we sent out a newsletter about "phishing" scams.  Just a couple of weeks ago, I received the following phishing email which prompted me to send out a reminder as an alert to phishing scams: 

From:IRS.DESK@IRS.GOV[mailto:IRS.DESK@IRS.GOV]
Sent:Thursday, May 09, 2013 4:58 PM
To: Ed Kohlhepp
Subject:irs.gov - Your 2013 Benefit.

We at the Internal Revenue Service would like to inform you that, you have qualified for 2013, subsidy benefit.

Simply reply to this secure message with the following details below & you will be notified shortly.

Full Name:
Complete Address:
Telephone Number:

Social Security Number:
Date of Birth (mmddyyyy):

ID Type:
Issuing State:
ID Number:

Bank Routing Number:
Deposit Account Number:

Please disregard this message if you have already mailed your response.
©2013 Internal Revenue Service | U.S. Department of the Treasury

Notice the details in this email in the efforts to make this look legitimate - the IRS logo (not viewable in this blog), the sender's email address, not to mention the
convenient timing of sending an email like this when people may be expecting to
hear about tax refunds.

We have reported this email to the IRS. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information.  In addition, you should never disclose such information, as listed in the email above, to any source via standard email.  

Following are some additional sources and helpful articles to give you more information about phishing scams and identity theft and what you can do to protect yourself:
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Identity-Protection
http://news.yahoo.com/phishing-scams-continue-plague-consumers-175100320.html

Our office will never ask for such information via email. And if we need to send our clients any information or forms that do contain secure information such as a social security number, date of birth, or an account number, we will ONLY send it via our secure, encrypted email service. Any trusted sources or advisors you work with should do the same. 

Following is a copy of the original Phishing newsletter we sent out in April, 2011 with some additional tips:

New Email Breach Sends A Warning: Don’t Let Hackers Reel You In With Phishing Scams

Scammers gained access to millions of email addressesover the weekend by hacking into a Dallas company that manages email accounts for major banks and retailers including Chase, Citi and Best Buy.

That will make it easier for the crooks to fool people by sending them phony websites made to look like the real deal, since they know the recipients are actually customers of the company they simulate. Called “phishing,” this scam attempts to get you to log in to your online account, which of course provides your username and password to the scammers.

There is a simple way to avoid getting hooked by phishing scams – always visit company websites by opening them in your browser. Never go to a company website through a link in an email.

We have all developed bad habits based on the convenience of just clicking on a link, but in these dangerous times you should refrain from using links unless you specifically requested them, for instance by asking for your password information.

Please be sure to read this Identity Protection section of the IRS website
and the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Information Site on Identity Theft.
Educate yourself.

We wish everyone a happy and safe holiday weekend!

Sincerely,

All of us at Kohlhepp Investment Advisors, Ltd.

Sources:

Advisor4Advisors, Brian Edelman, Financial Computer Services

Yahoo Finance

www.irs.gov

Investment Advisory services offered through Kohlhepp Investment Advisors, Ltd., a federally registered investment advisor. Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Registered Broker/Dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Kohlhepp Investment Advisors, Ltd. and Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. are not affiliated.