22 December, 2011 18:47
ACH Transaction Cancelled
- scam email reads like this -
ACH transfer, recently initiated from your checking account, was canceled.
Canceled transaction:Transaction ID: B6377692174USACH
Report: View (this is the scammer’s bogus link)
SELENA Lara
NACHA – The National Automated Clearing House Association
7dcccc08-e6b57284
FDIC Scam
Beware this scam, delivered by email to your inbox. The link itself may say ‘fdic.gov’ in it, but it really goes somewhere else.
It reads like this:
Dear Sir/Madame,
By this message we would like to pay your attention to the recent changes in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance coverage for transaction accounts.
From December 31, 2010, through December 31, 2012 all the money in a “noninterest-bearing transaction account” are fully insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Please note, that this arrangement is temporary and separate from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s basic insurance regulations.
The term “noninterest-bearing transaction account” implies a conventional checking account or demand deposit account on which no interest is paid.
For more information about this temporary FDIC arrangement, please enter: http://bencolefax.com/b4a34d/index.html
Yours sincerely,
Noel Correa
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Virus / Trojan Horse Alert
The email below will appear to come from another person or department in your company. But, of course, it is from a scammer. Here’s the email:
Hello! Look, I’ve received an unfamiliar bill, have you ordered anything?Here is the bill (there is a link here that it wants you to click)
Please reply as soon as possible, because the amount is large and they demand the payment urgently.Looking forward to your answer
Secure Checksum: 7237dc084bfe11169d03afe69d084928e116bf4bf4928e11116bf4928e
Better Business Bureau Phishing Email Alert
An email comes to inbox that contains the message below. It even has the BBB’s logo attached! Gutsy.
Do not trust it.
Here one of the many of these that are going around lately:
###
Attention: Owner/Manager
Here with the Better Business Bureau would like to notify you that we have been sent a complaint (ID 55116150) from your customer related to their dealership with you.
Please open the COMPLAINT REPORT below to view the details on this question and let us know of your position as soon as possible.
We hope to hear from you very soon.
Faithfully,
Nita Aracely
Dispute Counselor
Better Business Bureau
Council of Better Business Bureaus
4200 Wilson Blvd, Suite 800
Arlington, VA 22203-1838
Phone: 1 (703) 276.0100
Fax: 1 (703) 525.8277
Fraudulent “ACH and Wire transfers” E-Mails
Fraudulent e-mails claiming to be from the FDIC are in circulation.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has received numerous reports of fraudulent e-mails that have the appearance of being from the FDIC.
The e-mails appear to be sent from various “@fdic.gov” e-mail addresses, such as “protection@fdic.gov,” “admin@administration.fdic.gov,” or “service@admin.fdic.gov.”
They have various subject lines such as “Update for your banking account,” “ACH and Wire transfers disabled,” and “Banking security update.”
The fraudulent messages state:
“Dear clients,
Your account ACH and Wire transactions have been temporarily suspended for your Security, due to the expiration of your security version. To download and install the newest Updates, follow this link. As soon as it is set up, your transaction abilities will be fully restored. Best regards, Online security department, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.”
These e-mails and links are fraudulent and were not sent by the FDIC. Recipients should consider these e-mails an attempt to collect personal or confidential information, or to load malicious software onto end users’ computers. Recipients should NOT access the link provided within the body of the e-mails and should NOT install any related files or software updates.
Financial institutions and consumers should be aware that these fraudulent e-mails may be modified over time with other subject lines, sender names, and narratives. The FDIC does not directly contact bank customers, nor does the FDIC request bank customers to install software upgrades.
Information about counterfeit items, cyber-fraud incidents, and other fraudulent activity may be forwarded to the FDIC’s Cyber-Fraud and Financial Crimes Section, 3501 North Fairfax Drive, CH-11034, Arlington, Virginia 22226, or transmitted electronically to alert@fdic.gov. Questions related to federal deposit insurance or consumer issues should be submitted to the FDIC using an online form that can be accessed at
FDIC Announces Top 10 List of Online Resources for Consumers
Consumers of all ages are increasingly turning to the Internet for help with managing their finances, but knowing where to go online for reliable, practical money tips can be challenging. That’s why the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has compiled a “Top 10″ list of FDIC online resources for consumers on subjects ranging from deposit insurance to shopping for a bank account and avoiding financial fraud.
Here are the 10 FDIC online resources the agency is encouraging consumers to use:
- “EDIE,” the FDIC’s Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator: An online calculator that assists consumers and businesses in determining their deposit insurance coverage for each FDIC-insured bank where they have deposit accounts. EDIE also provides a printable report showing whether those deposits are fully protected or if some exceed the federal limits.
- FDIC Consumer News: The FDIC’s quarterly publication for consumers offers information and tips on credit cards, bank accounts, loans, scams, money management, and much more. Consumers can also listen to articles anywhere, anytime online or by downloading to an MP3 player.
- Bank Find: Our online directory that consumers can use to locate an FDIC-insured institution, learn what happened to a bank that changed names or no longer exists, and more.
- Customer Assistance Form: An easy-to-use form to submit a question to the FDIC or a complaint regarding a financial institution. Of course, consumers with questions or concerns can also call the FDIC toll-free at 1-877-ASK-FDIC, which is 1-877-275-3342.
- Consumer Alerts: Warnings about financial frauds and scams.
- Small Business Web Page: Useful information for small businesses, especially regarding access to loans, plus an online form to ask the FDIC a question or register a concern.
- The FDIC YouTube Channel: Videos on topics such as deposit insurance and Internet fraud and messages from FDIC Chairman Bair.
- Money Smart: A financial education curriculum concentrating on the development of consumers’ financial skills and positive banking relationships.
- Foreclosure Prevention Toolkit: A Web page that provides easy access to helpful information for homeowners on avoiding foreclosure and foreclosure “rescue” scams.
- E-mail updates: Sign up to receive e-mail notices of each new issue of FDIC Consumer News, Consumer Alerts, and other announcements and publications from the FDIC. Consumers can also follow the FDIC on Twitter and Facebook.
Fake Health Insurance Scam
Tennessee officials warn that worthless health insurance plans are being promoted with extremely low rates, some as little as $29.99 a month. Victims are often those who may have little or no insurance and elderly people who may have more costly health problems.
Besides leaving you with a high medical bill, these ploys can affect your credit score and give the scammer access to your private information.
The Tennessee Attorney General advises that you
- Make sure an insurance agency and company is licensed by calling the Tennessee Insurance Division’s Consumer Help Line at 1-800-342-4029 or visiting its website at www.tn.gov/commerce/insurance. This number can also be called to file a complaint.
- Don’t allow anyone to rush you into buying a plan without doing your homework.
- Beware when someone “guarantees” your acceptance into a program even with pre-existing medical conditions.
- Get recommendations for good health insurance policies from family and friends.
Source: Office of the Attorney General, State of Tennessee
Coming Soon: Less Fluoride in Your Tap Water
The federal government said Friday it planned to lower the recommended levels for fluoride in water, the first such change since 1962.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a proposal to change the recommended fluoride level to 0.7 milligrams per liter of water. EPA will be initiating a review on the maximum amount of fluoride allowed in drinking water. If EPA moves to lower the MCL they would need to formally make a revision to the rule and the overall process could take several years. By initiating the current review, EPA is following up on a commitment made in the second Six Year Review (SY2), which was released in March 2010. In SY2, the Agency indicated that the Office of Water was in the process of updating its health and exposure assessments and that when the Agency finalized these assessments, it would review the existing drinking water regulation to determine whether revisions are appropriate.
999999 Approval Code – What is That?
Thank you to Janet for this one:
She received several Approval Codes of 999999 today where the AVS Address and Zip response was ‘unknown’ and the CVV matched just fine.
After tracing the transactions, we learned that all of these cards are from the same Card Issuer. And the Issuer is giving out this response temporarily on all its approvals. This is likely due to system maintenance at the Issuer and is not a cause for concern.
Janet should be paid on these transactions as normal.
Kindest Regards,
Robert Mohon
Firefox: Do Not Track Coming Soon
Firefox browser developers are considering a do-not-track feature to allow internet users to surf without online monitoring.
