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SALT LAKE CITY — Cyber criminal activity is becoming an increasing problem and FBI officials have given several tips for citizens to protect themselves.
Cyber criminals can trick people into sending money, giving up personal information, or clicking a link that downloads malware and allows the scammer to invade people's personal lives. FBI Cyber Crimes supervisor, Jeff Coburn, said scammers often trick people with fake e-mails.
"They're sending this to thousands of people and all they need is for a few people to click on it," Coburn said.
The FBI and the Utah Department of Public Safety recently created a new task force in Salt Lake City to investigate e-mail scams and other types of cyber crimes. Utah residents who feel they've been victimized can file a complaint online at IC3.gov. The website serves as a law enforcement clearinghouse where complaints are collected before being disseminated to authorities for further investigation.
Con artists create phony e-mails that look realistic by using the names of legitimate companies. Coburn said there are a few tips to know if an email is a scam.
- It's too good to be true; such as you've won a lottery
- The email has grammatical errors and typos
- The email uses scare tactics — be wary of emails that demand outrageous payments
- Threats are made that indicate your account will be canceled or you're under investigation
- Links that end in something other than, .com, .org, .net, .edu, or .gov could indicate they're from outside the U.S. Three major companies teamed up with KSL TV to provide advice and consumer safety tips.
- Load and update anti virus software
- Don't download attachments or click on links sent by strangers
- Delete e-mails you were not expecting
- Call the company directly if you receive an e-mail demanding payment or personal information
- Remember that scammers use names and logos of legitimate companies
Wells FargoFor more than 160 years, account security has been a top priority for Wells Fargo. We remain as committed as ever now and use proven technologies to protect our customers' financial information and privacy.
In addition, under federal law, Regulation E (Electronic Fund Transfer Act) provides certain protections to consumer customers when there is unauthorized account activity. Regulation E covers electronic fund transfer activity through a checking, savings, or other consumer asset account at a financial institution used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.
All of the protections provided by Regulation E are incorporated into our Online Security Guarantee. In addition, our Online Security Guarantee expands these protections to cover other types of unauthorized transactions, including certain business and brokerage monetary transactions as described above. Learn how our online guarantee works. https://www.wellsfargo.com/privacy\_security/online/guarantee
We encourage our customers to be skeptical about email, text and telephone messages regarding their account information. Rather than responding directly to unsolicited messages asking for personal information, customers should contact the phone number printed on the back of their ATM, debit or credit card. Customers also are welcome to stop by any of our 122 banking locations across Utah to discuss their concerns with us directly.
FedEx
FedEx does not send unsolicited emails to customers requesting information regarding packages, invoices, account numbers, passwords or personal information.
If you receive a message suspicious emails, do not open the email or click on the attachment. Delete the email immediately or forward it to abuse@fedex.com.
FedEx posts alerts on fedex.com to make customers aware of the latest fraudulent emails circulating.
FedEx cares about your online safety and our FedEx IT Security professionals work with internet and email providers to shutdown fraudulent websites and suspend fraudulent email accounts.
Go to our FedEx Customer Protection Center to learn more about protecting yourself online. By following a few simple tips, you can make your online experience safer and more secure.
Facebook will never ask you for your password in an email or send you a password as an attachment and recommends people avoid clicking any links or opening any attachments if an email looks strange.
Optional security features like "login approvals" can go a long way to protect your account. By requiring a special code, you obtain from your mobile phone each time you access Facebook from a new device for the first time, stealing your password isn't enough for an attacker to gain access to your account.
