More 'phishing' scams hit Hawaii e-mail - Pacific Business News - 27 May 2008

The Hawaii Bankers Association has issued a warning about a sudden surge in online "phishing" scams used to con people into sharing sensitive financial information.

The warning comes after phishers last week tried to obtain information from Hawaii National Bank customers. And this week there are already phony e-mails circulating in Hawaii from Mainland banks, including Chase and Bank of America.

"One of our member banks got notice that again somebody was sending e-mails purporting to be this bank," said Gary Fujikawa, executive director for the banking association. "Fortunately, most people are smart enough not to respond."

He said statistics report anywhere from 1 percent to 3 percent [of Internet users] respond to fraudulent e-mails. "It's a numbers game," he said.

A recent report by the state's Anti-Phishing Working Group estimated that the Internet has more than 2,600 active phishing sites aimed at conning people into divulging sensitive financial information.

In a common type of phishing fraud, indidividuals receive e-mails disguised as authentic messages from their financial institution, right down to logos and slogans. The e-mails describe a situation requiring immediate attention and warns about account termination unless the e-mail recipients provide account information by clicking on a provided link. The information then goes to the con artist who sent the e-mail.

The bankers association advises consumers to:
* Never click on links in e-mails if there is a reason to believe it is fraudulent. The link may contain a virus.
* Not be intimidated by e-mails that warn of dire consequences for not following instructions
Alert your financial institution, place fraud alerts on your credit files and monitor your account statements closely if you are a victim of phishing.

In addition to Hawaii National Bank, the association comprises American Savings Bank, Bank of Hawaii, Bank of the Orient, Central Pacific Bank, First Hawaiian Bank, HomeStreet Bank, Ohana Pacific Bank, Pacific Rim Bank and Territorial Savings Bank.