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Warning: Emails Designed to Steal Passwords
Today, many InfoWest subscribers received a fraudulent email asking them to reveal their email addresses and passwords. The email appeared to have been sent from our customer care department, but was actually sent by an automated program designed to steal your password information. The scam is known as phishing and is a very serious problem wherever E-mail exists.
InfoWest will never ask you to email us your private account information. Nor will we ask you (via email) to visit a web page to confirm your user ID or password.
The email sent this morning was purported to be from customercare@infowest.com and had the subject: "VERIFY YOUR INFOWEST.COM EMAIL ACCOUNT IMMEDIATELY!" If you receive it, please delete the email. What is Phishing?
In computing, phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Communications purporting to be from PayPal, eBay or online banks are commonly used to lure the unsuspecting. Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail or instant messaging, and it often directs users to enter details at a website. Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to fool users. Attempts to deal with the growing number of reported phishing incidents include legislation, user training, public awareness, and technical security measures.(Source: Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing )
What can you do to protect yourself?
Never reveal your password to anyone unless you are conducting a transaction which you have initiated. Never provide anyone your username or password information in response to an email. Emails are easily forged.
If you ever have a doubt, suspicion, or question about an email message that appears to be from InfoWest, give us a call, or send us an email at support@infowest.com
If you may have unwittingly revealed your password, please call us and we will help you change your password.
InfoWest SpamTrap also is designed to block most "phishing" emails. You can learn more about SpamTrap at http://www.infowest.com/News/Newsletters/March-2007/spamtrap
The email sent this morning was purported to be from customercare@infowest.com and had the subject: "VERIFY YOUR INFOWEST.COM EMAIL ACCOUNT IMMEDIATELY!" If you receive it, please delete the email. What is Phishing?
In computing, phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Communications purporting to be from PayPal, eBay or online banks are commonly used to lure the unsuspecting. Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail or instant messaging, and it often directs users to enter details at a website. Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to fool users. Attempts to deal with the growing number of reported phishing incidents include legislation, user training, public awareness, and technical security measures.(Source: Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing )
What can you do to protect yourself?
Never reveal your password to anyone unless you are conducting a transaction which you have initiated. Never provide anyone your username or password information in response to an email. Emails are easily forged.
If you ever have a doubt, suspicion, or question about an email message that appears to be from InfoWest, give us a call, or send us an email at support@infowest.com
If you may have unwittingly revealed your password, please call us and we will help you change your password.
InfoWest SpamTrap also is designed to block most "phishing" emails. You can learn more about SpamTrap at http://www.infowest.com/News/Newsletters/March-2007/spamtrap
Warning: Emails Designed to Steal Passwords