RALEIGH, NC, January 29, 2010
/24-7PressRelease/ -- Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina (www.bbb.org) is warning consumers of a text message scam that impersonates different banks, including Wachovia, in order to gain access to consumers' bank accounts.
This scam is known as "smishing" and is the text message version of phishing emails, which try to steal personal information from unsuspecting consumers. The following text message has been received by Wachovia patrons, and the general public, nationwide in previous weeks: "Wachovia alert - your card starting with 4828 has been deactivated please contact us at 804-715-9368 to reactivate your card."
While similar text message scams have become prevalent in Eastern North Carolina within the past year, this particular scam seeks to gain consumers trust by claiming to know the first four digits of the consumer's bank card, when in fact many Wachovia Visa debit cards start with "4828."
Consumers also informed BBB that a second text message has been received within the past two weeks, stating "Customer issue- Wachovia service frozen please call at 206-905-7795."
In 2009 consumers notified BBB of similar text message and email scams that posed as the North Carolina State Employees' Credit Union, and Bank of America, respectively. In the case of all three scams, if consumers called the number in the text or email they would presumably be asked for personal banking information, which would later be used to steal money from their account.
BBB offers the following advice for consumers steer clear of text message and phishing scams:
• Beware of text messages or phone calls that request personal information.
• If you do not know who is making the request, delete the message or hang up.
• Never give out personal information, such as your Social Security number, bank account numbers or credit card numbers, to anyone you do not know.
• Banks will never ask for personal account information by text message or email.
• If you receive requests for personal information from the phone or email, call your financial institution to verify that the request is valid.
About the BBB serving Eastern North Carolina:
The Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina is a 501 (c)(6) not-for-profit corporation serving 33 counties in Eastern North Carolina. The organization is funded primarily by membership dues from more than 2,900 local businesses and professional firms. The BBB promotes integrity, consumer confidence and business ethics through business self-regulation in the local marketplace. Services provided by the BBB include, reports on companies and charitable organizations, general monitoring of advertising in the marketplace, dispute resolution services, and consumer/business education programs. All services are provided at no cost to the public, with the occasional exception of mediation and arbitration. Visit bbb.org.
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