Tuesday, July 29, 2008

New Phishing Scam Targets Investors

Sometimes it seems we receive phishing emails that seem to be fairly random. I can't count how many emails I've received supposedly regarding my account at a bank I've never heard of or a business I've never bought from. They seem like a shot in the dark hoping to find a customer of this bank or business who might fall for this scam. However random phishing scams may seem, they are try and target a certain group, and this new one is targeting investors.

According to U.S. Insurance News, investors should be warned about emails being sent on behalf of Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). The emails claim to be from a senior investment advisor who is looking to return funds to the investor by having them file an investment claim with a fake form. The form asks for specific information that would allow the scammer to withdraw funds from the investor's account.

SIPC says that these emails are from scammers and anyone receiving these emails should forward them to SIPC for investigation. Never provide account information without 100% certainty that the request is legitimate.

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