E-mail Claiming to Be From the FDIC – October 9, 2008

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports of a fraudulent e-mail that has the appearance of being sent from the FDIC.

The subject line of the e-mail states: "Funds wired into your account are stolen." The e-mail tells recipients that the proceeds of identity theft crimes have been wire-transferred into their bank account. The e-mail then directs recipients to open and review an attached copy of their bank account statement. The attached file is actually an unknown executable file.

Recipients should consider the intent of the executable file as a malicious attempt to collect personal or confidential information, some of which may be used to gain unauthorized access to on-line banking services or to conduct identity theft.

The FDIC does not issue unsolicited e-mails to consumers. Financial institutions and consumers should NOT open the executable file attached to the fraudulent e-mail.

Reminder from the FDIC – March 24, 2008

FDIC reminds consumers to be aware of advance fee loan scams that prey on individuals who desperately need money quickly. The scam involves false promises to arrange for a loan in return for fees paid upfront by the applicant. Scam artists may design Websites with online loan applications or fraudulently use logos and letterhead of legitimate companies to make the offer look legitimate.

Applicants are guaranteed approval as soon as the required fees are paid upfront usually by way of wire transfer money to an individual overseas.

Warning signs of advance fee loans include:

• Loan approval is "guaranteed." Lenders don't guarantee loans before analyzing the application.
• The loan applicant is required to pay upfront fees. Loan fees are normally paid after the loan is approved.
• The lender or loan processor is located outside of the United States.
• Payment of fees is requested to be sent by retail wire transfers.

Victims should report crimes to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov/. More information about fraudulent advance loan fee scams can be found at http://www.onguardonline.gov/topics/Email-scams.aspx#8.

E-mail Claiming to Be From the FDIC – March 14, 2008

The FDIC has received a number of reports of a phishing e-mail that has the appearance of being sent from the FDIC.

This e-mail asks "Who is FDIC?" and "What can FDIC do for you?" It warns against identity theft and states that the "FDIC is presenting a new card insurance which can restore you up to $500 if you are a victim of internet fraud." The e-mail directs recipients to click on a link to be redirected to "an online signup page for this program."

This e-mail is a fraudulent attempt to obtain personal information from consumers. Consumers should NOT access the link provided within the body of the e-mail and, under any circumstances, not provide any personal information through this media.

FBI Warning about Fraudulent Complaint e-mails

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is warning consumers to be cautious of e-mails claiming that someone has filed a complaint against them or their company with a government agency or other organization against you or your company. The fraudulent e-mails state that a complaint has been filed with the Department of Justice or another organization such as the Internal Revenue Service, Social Security Administration, or the Better Business Bureau. The e-mails are likely an effort to collect personally identifiable information.

The e-mails address the recipients by name, and other personal information may be contained within the e-mail. Some of the fraudulent e-mails refer to a complaint that is in the form of an attachment. It is believed that the attachment actually contains virus software designed to steal passwords and other personal information from the recipient. Once downloaded, the virus is designed to monitor username and password logins and record the activity entered on the compromised machine.

Consumers and businesses should be wary of any e-mail received from an unknown sender. They should not open any unsolicited e-mail or click on any hyperlinks provided. If you receive a scam e-mail please notify the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) by filing a complaint at www.ic3.gov.

E-Mails Claiming to Be From the FDIC

Con artists know that people trust the FDIC name. That's why they may use our name and seal in fraudulent e-mails trying to obtain valuable information from consumers and businesses. These types of scams are commonly referred to as "phishing." Con artists use fake Web sites and e-mails to obtain valuable personal information from consumers.

The FDIC does not send out unsolicited e-mails or ask for detailed personal information. Additionally, the FDIC does not ask people for the PIN numbers, passwords or similar secret access information for their credit card, bank or other financial accounts. If you get this sort of e-mail appearing to be from the FDIC, you should assume that it is fraudulent.

To report a fraud, send an e-mail to the FDIC financial crimes unit at alert@fdic.gov or call the FDIC toll-free at 1-877-ASK-FDIC (1-877-275-3342).