Phishing Scam Attacks Idaho First Bank Customers

According to the news published by IDAHOBUSINESSREVIEW on February 3, 2009, McCall (Delaware, US) based Idaho First Bank has notified the office of Lawrence Wasden, Attorney General, that a large number of Idaho residents were reporting the bank of receiving suspicious e-mails.

The Bank states that the fraudulent e-mails pretend to be messages from Idaho First Bank and asking recipients to give their debit or credit card number. Nevertheless, the Bank revealed that it is not sending such e-mails.

Wasden said that banks never dispatch e-mails requesting for users' credit card numbers, as every bank already possesses that information. However, he added that although such e-mail communications might seem official, they are nothing but scams.

Therefore, people should not reply to the e-mails currently circulating as well as not click on the web links embedded in them, Wasden cautioned. However, if anyone has already provided his credit card detail to the messages' senders, he must get in touch with his bank instantly.

Wasden further said that several banks had established a special e-mail ID where customers could report phishing e-mails. These IDs are normally posted on the official websites of the respective banks, he informed.

Greg Lovell, President and CEO of Idaho First Bank, further said that the Bank encourages consumers to know more about the scammers' myriad methods of illicitly acquiring access to people's sensitive information, as reported by IDAHOBUSINESSREVIEW on January 30, 2009. Mr. Lovell also said that like majority of banks, Idaho First Bank do not request for confidential identification details over phone or e-mail.

In fact, according to Lovell, consumers are encouraged to contact the Bank if they want to sort out any concern arising about an e-mail or telephone call that claims to be from the Bank. Accordingly, Idaho First Bank has asked its clients to forward any doubtful e-mail to reportphish@idahofirstbank.com.

Meanwhile, phishing attack against Idaho banks is not new. In the end week of January 2009, another multi-branched bank in Idaho was reportedly hit by a phishing scam.

Related article: Phishing With A Redirector Code

» SPAMfighter News - 2/18/2009