Recently I was personally introduced to my first threat of a "vishing" scam.
My cell phone indicated I had received a voice mail -though the phone sitting right next to me never rang. I just assumed I didn't have good service where I was. But as it turns out the call was designed to go straight to voice mail.
The voice message relayed it was a call from my cell phone provider and that it was imperative that I contact the number they were providing at the end of the call. I was to call that particular number, in order to correct a problem with my cell phone account. The voice on the other end insisted I should return the call quickly in order to rectify the problem and insure my my account was not in jeopardy. They claimed I had "incurred extra charges".
I knew something wasn't right because I didn't incur extra charges -to my knowledge all was well. Believing this was a scam, I wanted to check it out. Rather than calling the number they insisted I call, (which you should never do) I contacted them by dialing the number I had on my cell phone statement and asked about the message I received.
As predicted, they had no record of anyone trying to reach me, nor were there any problem with my account -nor had any additional charges been incurred as the message claimed. My provider took the time to review my account, their computer system, etc. and confirmed that the number I was provided -was not one of their phone lines -this appeared to be a vishing scam.
Though vishing is a newer and less known than the more commonly known "phishing" scam, it is growing in popularity with thieves. A vishing attack can be conducted by voice email, VoIP (voice over IP), or landline or cellular telephone.
The term "Vishing" comes from a combination of voice and phishing. Vishing works like phishing but does not always occur over the Internet and is carried out using voice technology. The potential victim may receive a voice mail that may be generated by speech synthesis. The message may claim that suspicious activity has taken place on one of your credit card accounts, bank account, mortgage, cell phone account or other service in your name.
The victim is told to call a specific telephone number and provide information to "verify identity" or to fix whatever problem they claim is going on. Even your caller id can be fooled. Scammers can spoof the caller ID into indicating the call is coming from a legitimate place of business, such as your bank, the IRS or even one of your credit card holders.
Vishing is difficult for law enforcement to track because typically vishing scams may originate in other countries. Never dial a number that is left in a voice mail or provided in an email. Rather, take the time to find the legitimate number through your documentation, phone book or by searching online. Here's a recent story about vishing in MN; Another telephone scam hits area.
Yet another telephone scam has hit the area, causing identity theft investigators to warn the public not to give out bank account or credit card information. The scam is called "vishing." While it's not new (it's been around since 2006), it is new to the area, in particular the north end of the County. Jason LaSart, financial crimes investigator with the Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Office, explained the vishing process.
Vishing is a criminal practice in which the scam artist uses VoIP (voice over internet protocols) to obtain credit card and bank account information via a pre-recorded message. Utilizing such carriers as Vonage, the scam artist can create a phone number that doesn't necessarily correlate with their location. For example, they can have a number with the area code of 320 and a 983 exchange, but actually be in Tennessee or Mexico.
Caller ID spoofing is a term used to refer to the practice of causing the telephone network to display a number on the recipients caller ID display which is not that of the actual originating station (similar to e-mail spoofing). "You can have any number you want," LaSart said.
The intention of that capability was to reduce long distance phone charges, LaSart added. Vonage states on its website, "VoIP lets you make phone calls using your high speed Internet connection instead of a phone line. Vonage converts sound into data, sends it over the Internet, and converts it back into sound at the other end.
The people you talk with will never know the difference, because a VoIP call sounds just like a regular phone call." Vonage is trying to correct the problem, LaSart noted. What's currently happening on the north end of the county is consumers are receiving pre-recorded telephone messages that claim to be Woodlands National Bank. MORE
The voice message relayed it was a call from my cell phone provider and that it was imperative that I contact the number they were providing at the end of the call. I was to call that particular number, in order to correct a problem with my cell phone account. The voice on the other end insisted I should return the call quickly in order to rectify the problem and insure my my account was not in jeopardy. They claimed I had "incurred extra charges".
I knew something wasn't right because I didn't incur extra charges -to my knowledge all was well. Believing this was a scam, I wanted to check it out. Rather than calling the number they insisted I call, (which you should never do) I contacted them by dialing the number I had on my cell phone statement and asked about the message I received.
As predicted, they had no record of anyone trying to reach me, nor were there any problem with my account -nor had any additional charges been incurred as the message claimed. My provider took the time to review my account, their computer system, etc. and confirmed that the number I was provided -was not one of their phone lines -this appeared to be a vishing scam.
Though vishing is a newer and less known than the more commonly known "phishing" scam, it is growing in popularity with thieves. A vishing attack can be conducted by voice email, VoIP (voice over IP), or landline or cellular telephone.
The term "Vishing" comes from a combination of voice and phishing. Vishing works like phishing but does not always occur over the Internet and is carried out using voice technology. The potential victim may receive a voice mail that may be generated by speech synthesis. The message may claim that suspicious activity has taken place on one of your credit card accounts, bank account, mortgage, cell phone account or other service in your name.
The victim is told to call a specific telephone number and provide information to "verify identity" or to fix whatever problem they claim is going on. Even your caller id can be fooled. Scammers can spoof the caller ID into indicating the call is coming from a legitimate place of business, such as your bank, the IRS or even one of your credit card holders.
Vishing is difficult for law enforcement to track because typically vishing scams may originate in other countries. Never dial a number that is left in a voice mail or provided in an email. Rather, take the time to find the legitimate number through your documentation, phone book or by searching online. Here's a recent story about vishing in MN; Another telephone scam hits area.
Yet another telephone scam has hit the area, causing identity theft investigators to warn the public not to give out bank account or credit card information. The scam is called "vishing." While it's not new (it's been around since 2006), it is new to the area, in particular the north end of the County. Jason LaSart, financial crimes investigator with the Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Office, explained the vishing process.
Vishing is a criminal practice in which the scam artist uses VoIP (voice over internet protocols) to obtain credit card and bank account information via a pre-recorded message. Utilizing such carriers as Vonage, the scam artist can create a phone number that doesn't necessarily correlate with their location. For example, they can have a number with the area code of 320 and a 983 exchange, but actually be in Tennessee or Mexico.
Caller ID spoofing is a term used to refer to the practice of causing the telephone network to display a number on the recipients caller ID display which is not that of the actual originating station (similar to e-mail spoofing). "You can have any number you want," LaSart said.
The intention of that capability was to reduce long distance phone charges, LaSart added. Vonage states on its website, "VoIP lets you make phone calls using your high speed Internet connection instead of a phone line. Vonage converts sound into data, sends it over the Internet, and converts it back into sound at the other end.
The people you talk with will never know the difference, because a VoIP call sounds just like a regular phone call." Vonage is trying to correct the problem, LaSart noted. What's currently happening on the north end of the county is consumers are receiving pre-recorded telephone messages that claim to be Woodlands National Bank. MORE
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