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For Release: Aug. 30, 2006
Contact: J. Tucker Martin or David Clementson
Email: jtmartin@oag.state.va.us or dclementson@oag.state.va.us
Phone: 804-786-2071

Attorney General Bob McDonnell Issues Consumer Alert on “Vishing”

--New Version of ‘Phishing’ is Fraud by Phone--

Attorney General Bob McDonnell today issued a consumer alert to warn Virginians about a new form of fraud called “Vishing.” “Vishing”, short for “Voice Phishing”, is a variation on “Phishing.”

In “Phishing”, an email is sent to a person directing them to a fraudulent website purporting to be legitimate. The purpose is to trick the recipient into entering their personal financial information into this fake website, where it is then used by criminals to defraud the individual. “Vishing” is the same thing, but utilizes the phone instead. It has developed as citizens have become smarter about not entering personal financial information into websites asking for that information via email.

Attorney General McDonnell noted, “Our office spends a tremendous amount of time tracking down, and prosecuting, criminals who defraud Virginians through schemes such as “Phishing” and “Vishing”. But it is far better to prevent citizens from becoming victims of these schemes by getting the word out when they first start. I hope Virginians will share this information with their family, friends and neighbors. The number one way to prevent fraud is for citizens to be aware of what is out there, and know what to look for when a solicitation appears in their inbox, mailbox, or voicemail.”

“Vishing” works as follows. Victims receive an urgent e-mail about fraudulent activity being detected with instructions to call a specific phone number immediately. Once the victim calls the number, the automated response asks the victim to enter their account number for verification. (Criminals are able to use cheaply obtained Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) numbers that can recognize telephone keystrokes to capture the account information.) In some instances, “vishing” attacks are initiated via the phone. In these circumstances the caller already knows the victim's credit card number and just asks for the valuable three-digit security code on the back of the card.

Attorney General McDonnell urges Virginians to take these simple steps, from the website of the Virginia Credit Union, to avoid being victimized:

• Never call a number provided in a phone call or an e-mail that you did not request. If you have a question about an inquiry you have received, call the number on the back of your credit card or on a bank statement, or confirm their officially listed phone number on their web site.
   
• Never give your financial information to anyone who calls and requests it. Hang up immediately and call the phone number on the back of your credit card. If the call that you received was a legitimate call, the credit card provider will have knowledge of it and you can proceed at that point.

The Computer Crime Unit in the Office of the Attorney General offers assistance to those who have been victimized by identity theft and prosecutes identity theft and computer fraud cases with local prosecutors. Virginia's Phishing statute is one of several Identity Theft laws the Computer Crime Unit can prosecute. It is also one of the only such statutes in the country. If any citizen wishes to report a Computer Crime in Virginia, please contact the unit at 804-786-2071 or at cybercrime@oag.state.va.us.

Click here to learn more about the Computer Crime Unit.

*Some information in this release comes from the website of the Virginia Credit Union.