Phishing Threats: VoIP Exploited for Data Theft Tactics

Phishing attacks are increasingly using offline components to appear more trustworthy, according to security firms. This week, security firm Cloudmark warned that two customers had been targeted with phishing attacks that used real phone numbers to collect personal information from the victims. The e-mail message alerts users to a fictitious security incident and asks them to call their bank at a certain phone number to verify their account number and PIN code. The fraudsters appear to have cloned the real banks automated telephone system to make the attack appear more real.

The attack has become more feasible because of the lower telecommunications costs brought by the popularity of voice-over-IP (VoIP) and the potential to turn compromised PCs into fraudulent call centers, Cloudmark stated. Another scam appears in regular mail with news that the recipient has won a sweepstakes and to claim the money they have to pay "processing fees," according to an article in the Contra Costa Times. Old hat? Maybe, but in this particular scam, the envelope also includes checks to cover the cost of the fees from real companies, such as garbage-collection service Waste Connections, which posted a warning for potential victims about the attack on its Web site. Only after cashing the checks does the victim find out that they are fakes.

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