Hello everyone,
Evelyn here,
With a Consumer alert from Bill McCollum, the Attorney General of the State of Florida. In this consumer alert, the General warns consumer of the increase threat of theft during the holiday season.
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AN ATTORNEY GENERAL CONSUMER ALERT
DECEMBER 6, 2007
CREDIT CARD FRAUD, "PHISHING" AND OTHER SCAMS
OFTEN MORE FREQUENTDURING PEAK OF HOLIDAY SHOPPING
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Attorney General Bill McCollum today advised Floridians to be careful when using credit and debit cards to pay for gifts during this holiday shopping season in order to avoid becoming victims of identity theft. The Attorney General also cautioned consumers about a "phishing" scam that has surfaced recently, threatening to expose consumers’ personal financial information. McCollum noted that occurrences of identity theft often increase during the holiday season and encouraged residents and guests to be extra vigilant to protect themselves.
"Identity theft can be devastating any time it occurs, but it is especially destructive during the holiday season when it could threaten personal financial information, travel plans and other seasonal aspects of our consumers’ personal lives," said Attorney General McCollum. "Please remember to take every precaution to protect yourselves, your families and your good names."
The Attorney General advised consumers to be careful when reaching into their wallet to pay for gift purchases to make sure no one is nearby watching to steal a credit card number. The Attorney General offered the following suggestions for Floridians to avoid identity theft while shopping:
Making Purchases at Retail Stores . . .
- Don't take out credit cards before approaching the register. This allows control over the number of people who see the information on the cards and can protect credit numbers from the people nearby.
- Beware of people who have cell phones in their hands but are not making calls. Often, identity thieves use cell phones to take photographs or videos of credit cards or personal information for later use.
- Carry only the credit or debit cards intended for making holiday purchases. If a wallet or purse is stolen, fewer accounts will be affected.
Making Purchases Online or by Cell Phone . . .
- Make online purchases through secure websites from legitimate and trusted companies.
- If someone claiming to be a representative of a bank, lending institution or a business
with which a consumer has an established account asks for personal account information over the internet, do not do provide the information.
- Keep billing information private and avoid sharing it via cell phone, especially in a location where a stranger could overhear and write down the information.
Handling the Documentation of Credit and Purchases
- Keep all receipts together so no one else can pick them up. Destroy receipts before throwing them away.
- Review all credit card statements carefully to check for unfamiliar charges. Contact the credit card company right away if there are any problems.
If Your Identity is Stolen . . .
- Victims of identity theft should immediately report it to the police and then ask the national credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on their credit report. Keep records of telephone calls and follow up in writing with credit bureaus, banks and creditors.
- Victims may call the Attorney General's Fraud Hotline at 1-866-9-NO-SCAM (1-866-966-7226). They may also visit the Attorney General's website at http://www.myfloridalegal.com for additional helpful information.
Another dangerous form of cyber-perpetrated identity theft is phishing, which occurs when an individual is sent to a legitimate-looking website and asked to divulge personal information such as Social Security numbers, bank and credit card account numbers and other financial information. The Attorney General said many consumers, including state
employees, have recently received bogus emails from individuals falsely posing as representatives of First Florida Credit Union (FFCU). The scam is especially brazen in that it appears to be a legitimate warning against phishing attempts and identity theft. The messages, often with a signature from a bank security manager, claim that FFCU bank customers have been targeted by phishing attempts and, to protect their banking information, they should log into the site within the email and provide their account numbers and personal PIN numbers of consumers. FFCU has confirmed that the emails are not legitimate.
"Consumers should never feel pressured to reveal their personal information," said McCollum. "Their bank already knows passwords, account numbers and PINs and would not be asking for them through an email. Anyone receiving such a message should call his or her bank’s fraud department and may also report it to the Attorney General’s Office."
More information on phishing may be found on the Attorney General’s website at http://myfloridalegal.com consumer through the "Protecting Yourself from Consumer Fraud" link.
Thank you.
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Evelyn out.
