Consumers continue to be inundated by spam
purportedly from the FBI. As with previous spam attacks, the latest
versions use the names of several high ranking executives within the
FBI and even the IC3 to attempt to defraud consumers.
Many of the spam e-mails
currently in circulation claim to be an "official order" from the FBI's
Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division, from an alleged FBI unit
in Nigeria, confirm an inheritance or contain a lottery notification,
all informing recipients they have been named the beneficiary of
millions of dollars.To claim the large sum, recipients are instructed to furnish their personally identifiable information (PII) and are often threatened with some type of penalty, such as prosecution, if they fail to do so. Specific PII information requested includes, but is not limited to, the recipient's name, banking information, telephone number and a copy of their passport.
The spam e-mail allegedly from the IC3 states that the recipient has extorted money and will be given a limited amount of time to refund the money or face prosecution. Do not respond. These e-mails are a hoax.
The FBI does not send unsolicited e-mails of this nature. FBI executives are briefed on numerous investigations but do not personally contact consumers regarding such matters.
News 1 year ago
