Amoco

Online Safety and Security 

Vishing

Vishing works in a way similar to phishing, except criminals use the telephone to gain access to private, personal information most often for the puprpose of financial gain. The term "vishing" is a combination of "voice" and "phishing" and is typically used to steal credit card numbers, PIN numbers, account numbers and other information used in identity theft schemes. Often the "vishing" caller states that they are calling to alert the member that their credit card, debit card, or other account information has been compromised and they need to "provide", "validate", or "verify" certain member information in order to maintain the member's account/card in working order. Often, the call is automated and requires the member to respond by calling a separate phone number or by logging in to a web site to provide the requested information. Sometimes, the caller may already have part of the information necessary to commit theft on the member's account. They're just missing one last piece of information necessary to commit fraud such as PIN number, or the security numbers printed on the backside of the credit/debit card. Callers having this information will make their call SEEM more legitimate, however while most legitimate financial institutions usually provide members with a free monitoring service to protect member's account or card, these calls will always be made by a "live" person. And, the caller will only ask members to verify their past several transactions...not their account numbers, their PIN, the code on the back of their card, etc...

To protect yourself, you are advised to be highly suspicious when receiving messages directing you to call or go to a website and provide credit card or other information. Rather than provide this information, you should call your credit union, bank, or card company directly to verify the validity of such messages.


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