FBI Warning Involves Complicated Phishing Scam

The Charlotte Division of the FBI has learned a new phishing scam has reached the Charlotte area. Local people are now being targeted via e-mail in a complicated scheme involving personal and business accounts, financial institutions, and jewelry stores. The e-mail appears to be from the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA) alerting the recipient to a problem with a direct deposit transaction at their bank and informing them it was not processed. The e-mail advises the user to click a link to enter the secure section of the website, but instead it launches a virus that can monitor their keystrokes and steal their online banking credentials—but that is only the beginning of the scheme.

Once an account is compromised, the hackers attack the financial institution as a distraction while they send fraudulent wire transfers to jewelry stores. Then, couriers pick up the jewelry “electronically” paid for using money from hacked accounts.

The FBI Charlotte Cyber Squad recommends users never click a link in an e-mail from someone they were not expecting an e-mail from. If consumers receive an e-mail alert about a problem with bank accounts, call the bank directly. For more information on ways to stay safe online please visit the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s official website at FBI.gov.