FBI warns of rise in phone-based 'vishing' attacks

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) warned Thursday that so-called
"vishing" attacks are on the rise. These are scams where criminals send
an e-mail or text message to a victim, saying there has been a security
problem and the victim needs to call his or her bank to reactivate a
credit or debit card. "Upon calling the telephone number, the recipient is greeted with
'Welcome to the bank of ...' and then [is] requested to enter their
card number in order to resolve a pending security issue," the IC3 said
in its alert.

In the past few years, inexpensive VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
technology and open-source call-center software has made it inexpensive
for scammers to set up phony call centers, paving the way for these new
types of scams. Security experts say that vishing can be more effective
than traditional phishing techniques -- which direct victims to fake
Web sites -- because the voice-based attacks have not been as widely
publicized. A new vishing scam involves sending text messages to cell phones,
instructing victims to contact the fake online bank to renew their
accounts, the IC3 said. Those who are unsure whether they have been targeted by this scam
should look up the bank's phone number and call the bank directly, the
IC3 advises.
Operated in partnership with the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, the IC3 is a clearinghouse for Internet crime complaints. source