E-ZPass Agencies Warn of Email Phishing Scam

Here is an article that I read in the Washington Post by the writer that call himself Dr. Gridlock. Its an important email phishing scam that I believe needs to be shared so that people are aware of the dangers of this. Read on!

E-ZPass agencies warn of phishing scam
By Robert Thomson July 9

  
By now, many people have learned to ignore pleading e-mails from close friends who say they’re trapped in a foreign country and need your money. That’s a relatively easy fraud to spot. Since when did your close friend start speaking zombie English? But a new scheme hides behind an American institution: The E-ZPass transponder used to quickly pay tolls.

Transportation agencies that administer E-ZPass accounts are warning their customers to beware of an e-mail scam that begins with a claim they haven’t paid their bills.

E-ZPass scam letter:

The Virginia E-ZPass program provided this sample of the e-mail scam.

People targeted by the scammers are not necessarily E-ZPass users. James Paul of Annandale said in an e-mail that he discovered one. “Not being an automobile owner, and never having driven in the Lexus lanes, I wasn’t surprised to see it in the spam filter,” he said. “The sending address being in France was another tipoff.”

The sending address that the e-mail reader sees at first glance may not be the full address, but rather something like, “E-ZPass Info,” or “E-ZPass Customer Service Center.” Where the actual e-mail address appears, the address may be different. The one Paul spotted had a designation suggested it originated in France. The one in the sample provided by the Virginia E-ZPass operators has a standard “.com” sender address.

The subject line also may vary. The one in the Virginia sample says, “In arrears for driving on toll road.” In the fake message that Paul received, the subject line is, “Payment for driving on toll road.”

The body of the message will say something about you failing to pay for using a toll road.

Overall, the e-mail looks very official. It has the purple color you see on the highway signs and at toll plazas. It even had a link that purports to lead to the agency’s “Phishing Policy.” Paul described that reference as “a bit cheeky.”

To me, the most chilling thing is that the scammers spell “E-ZPass” right. Almost nobody outside of government can do that.

Bottom line: Control your outrage or fear about an unexpected bill. And don’t click on the link provided to obtain a copy of your invoice. The scammers are after your private information. Just delete the e-mail. E-ZPass bills generally come in the U.S. Mail.

If you have any doubts, call the customer service center for the agency that holds your account. For Virginia accounts, that’s 877-762-7824. For Maryland accounts, it’s 888-321-6824.

I haven’t seen any form of this scam e-mail that indicates it comes from any particular agency that issues E-ZPasses. The scam logo is a generic “E-ZPass Service Center.”

Robert Thomson is The Washington Post’s “Dr. Gridlock.” He answers travelers’ questions, listens to their complaints and shares their pain on the roads, trains and buses in the Washington region.

New Protection From NSA Mobile Phone Snooping

Looking for an excellent solution to cell phone privacy? Read what two people have done to help secure your privacy from those who want to violate your cell phone privacy. Below is what their website offers in the form of a secure cell phone with a secure operating system. You can obtain more information at their website at https://www.blackphone.ch/ and https://silentcircle.com/

In 2011, Mike Janke, former U.S. Navy SEAL and security specialist, approached Phil Zimmermann, cryptography legend (Internet Hall of Fame inductee; creator of PGP and ZRTP) about a partnership to create the world’s first communications network built for privacy.

Jon Callas, creator of Apple's Whole Disk Encryption, joined as CTO and Silent Circle's founding team was made. Their idea was to create an encrypted communications service with easy-to-use tools available to all who appreciate a little control over who has access to their conversations.

Silent Circle has matured into the world's most trusted solution for mobile privacy serving individuals, businesses, and governments in over 130 countries with a truly revolutionary ecosystem of software, services, and devices.

Headquartered in Switzerland with employees in eight countries, Silent Circle has revolutionized how the world communicates - securely.

Here is some information on their secure cell phone that can be found on their website:

Blackphone combines a custom operating system with leading applications optimized for security. The result: an unparalleled product ideal for people who recognize a need for privacy and want a simple, secure place to start.

Blackphone's unique features put privacy back in your hands.

• Bundled with privacy enabled applications
• Smart disabling of WiFi except in trusted hotspots
• Comes with years of key security subscriptions
• Remote Wipe and anti-theft features

Blackphone comes unlocked and features several pre-installed privacy tools, all fully enabled for at least two years of use.  These tools include the Silent Circle suite of applications, including Silent Phone, Silent Text, and Silent Contacts; anonymous search, private browsing, and VPN from Disconnect; and secure cloud file storage from SpiderOak. (Source: https://www.blackphone.ch/ and https://silentcircle.com/)

This may be the privacy protection we all are craving. But rest assured there is someone or some company out there that will try and break this system just to once again invade your right to privacy.

Top 5 Tricks of Identity Thieves

From an article at Yahoo! Finance of the same name, written by Stacy Curtin September 29, 2010

Identity theft affects 9 million Americans each year. Knowing the most common methods identity thieves use could save your financial and medical health.

Paying with a credit card, updating friends on social networking sites and throwing out the trash are fairly common activities for most Americans these days. But however routine or harmless these behaviors might seem, they could potentially cost you your identity.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a federal consumer protection agency, identity theft affects 9 million Americans each year.

The FTC website says, "Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personally identifying information, like your name, Social Security number, or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes."

If your identity is stolen, your credit rating, finances and even your medical health could be at risk.

Identity theft is very difficult to detect. However, there are things you can do to protect yourself.

As is often the case, the best defense is sometimes a good offense.

Knowing the most common methods thieves use to steal identities is a good way to fight back. So this week in Financially Fit, we'll cover five of the top tricks of identity thieves.

#1 Skimming

Skimming can happen while you're paying for gas at the gas pump, when you're removing money from the ATM or even when you're handing over your credit card to pay for dinner.

"Skimming is when information is captured from your credit card illegitimately," says Leonard Gordon of the FTC.

At gas pumps and ATMs thieves install special equipment called skimmers that are not visible to the naked eye. These skimmers make two copies of your credit card information.

"One [copy] to process the transaction and one for the bad guys to later download," explains Gordon.

Skimming is a very lucrative scheme. In a recent Los Angeles case, a gang of thieves netted $2 million after placing skimmers on the credit card readers at gas pumps.

Gordon says skimming is a big problem — one that costs consumers and banks billions of dollars a year.

#2 Medical Identity Theft

Medical identity theft is on the rise, and it's scary. This type of identity theft not only has financial risks, it could cost you your life. Here, thieves use your identity to gain access to doctors, dentists, prescriptions and procedures, and then send you and your insurer the bill.

In 2009, 1.4 million Americans were victims of medical identity theft according a report by Experian.

"If a person who is impersonating you has had medication administered [and] a procedure performed and then you go into the emergency room, and you are not conscious, and your medical records reflect that you have had this procedure performed [and] you have had this medication administered, when in fact you hadn't, there are some real medical risks there," Gordon says.

If you start to receive bills for procedures that you didn't have or from providers that you don't use, that's a key way to determine that someone else might be using your medical benefits.

#3 Social Networking Abuse

Social networking allows us to keep up with friends, family and colleagues, but these websites also serve up our identities on a silver platter to identity thieves.

According to a survey by the CMO council, one in every five users has been touched by social networking abuse.

Key personal details, such as age, hometown, employer and personal favorites, can be used against you.

Fraudsters on the web frequently use "pretexting" to steal your identity. The FTC website defines pretexting as "the practice of getting your personal information under false pretenses."

For example, after looking at your profile pages for basic information about you, a "pretexter" could call — pretending to be from an organization you trust — and ask for important personal data such as your birthday or social security number.

#4 Family and Friends

Theft source number four is surprisingly common — family and friends commit nearly half of all identity crimes. It often happens at the places we feel the safest, including at work, a college dormitory or even at home.

"Don't leave your pocket book laying around, don't leave your wallet around [and] check your credit card statements as soon as you get them," Gordon says.

It is important to look over all credit card statements carefully for any unidentified charges, says Gordon. He also recommends checking your credit report twice a year to spot all types of identity fraud.

#5 Dumpster Diving

Just taking out the trash is another routine activity that could put your identity at risk.

Every year, each of us throws away 175 pounds of paper, and much of that includes personal information thieves can use to steal your identity.

Credit card offers, bank account numbers and even just your name and address are clues thieves can use to help unlock your identity.

Visit the Federal Trade Commission website for additional information and identity theft-prevention methods.

Charlie