Economic Turmoil Leads to Phishing Increase

Hackers and online criminals are opportunists. When natural disasters occur, hackers are quick to take advantage of the situation with such ploys as phony donation sites. With the current economic turmoil, there is a concern that there will be a continued increase in phishing activity:

“…The FTC said the current rapid changes in the banking world, where many institutions suddenly had new owners, could only help fraudsters keen to steal login and other personal details.

“Scammers are taking advantage of upheavals in the financial marketplace to confuse consumers into parting with valuable personal information,” it warned.”

link: Bank turmoil fuels phishing boom

Banks are unlikely to initiate email contact for personal information. If you are concerned, call your banking institution. Be very wary of giving any personal information online - and know that phishers realize that this is a prime opportunity, with some financial institutions constantly in the news.

Catherine Forsythe