Recent Phishing e-mail scams and other threats are shown below. This list is not meant to be all-inclusive. New scams emerge daily, but the best way to protect yourself is to remember that a legitimate organization will never ask you to verify your information with a link in an e-mail. A legitimate organization will not threaten to close or suspend your account if you don't comply. If you receive an e-mail asking you to enter your Social Security, account, credit card, or debit card number, do not click the link. Forward the e-mail to spam@uce.gov, and if you have doubts about your account, contact the institution using a published number, not one in the e-mail.

Phishing and other scams work by creating panic in the recipient. You are scared that your account or card will be suspended, and you want to act quickly to prevent that from happening. Try to stay calm and remember to contact your instituion using a published number or web address.

Text Message Scam

A new threat involves a text message to your cell phone, called SMiShing. Consumers receive a text message with their institution's name, indicating that suspicious activity has been detected on their account. It provides an 800 to call immediately or the account will be closed. Of course, the 800 is not to the institution and when you call, you give your account number, Social Security number, and other sensitive, identifying information to the thieves.

An alternate version is a text message informing consumers they have been signed up for a free service, and to cancel they must visit a website named in the text. The website indicates that to cancel the service, you must download a program or be charged a fee. The program contains malicious software that infects your computer.

IRS Scam

We have received notice that Oxy employees are getting an email from the "IRS Administrator" which says they are required, by law, to download new tax software. It includes a link to this "software" which actually will open and download a virus onto your computer. Delete any emails you get such as this, as the IRS would never contact taxpayers by email to demand information or downloads.

This has been verified on Snopes.com (link listed below) and by the FBI (their link is also included below). Most of us take the summons for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of scam has surfaced. Fall for it and your identity could be stolen, reports CBS. In this con, someone calls pretending to be a court official who threateningly says a warrant has been issued for your arrest because you didn't show up for jury duty. The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo! Your identity just got stolen. The scam has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma , Illinois , and Colorado . This scam is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they're with the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.

Check it out here:

http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp

http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel05/092805.htm

NCUA Scam 2:

Recently, an e-mail has been circulating in an attempt to get Credit Union Members to disclose important personal information. Please be advised that this is a hoax. In the event you get an e-mail like this one, do not respond to it unless you have verified it's validity verbally, in person, or via e-mail with Energy One management. Thanks to an alert member who did just that, we are able to warn everyone quickly and prevent the potential theft of personal information. Click here to see a copy of the e-mail scam!

NCUA Scam:

Recently, an e-mail has been circulating in an attempt to get Credit Union Members to disclose important personal information. Please be advised that this is a hoax. In the event you get an e-mail like this one, do not respond to it unless you have verified it's validity verbally, in person, or via e-mail with Energy One management. Thanks to an alert member who did just that, we are able to warn everyone quickly and prevent the potential theft of personal information. Click here to see a copy of the e-mail scam!

Credit Union Scam:

Recently, an e-mail has been circulating in an attempt to get Credit Union Members to disclose important personal information. Please be advised that this is a hoax. In the event you get an e-mail like this one, do not respond to it unless you have verified it's validity verbally, in person, or via e-mail with Energy One management. Thanks to an alert member who did just that, we are able to warn everyone quickly and prevent the potential theft of personal information. Click here to see a copy of the e-mail scam!

Bank of Oklahoma Scam:

Dear Bank of Oklahoma customer,
BOk is committed to maintaining a safe environment for its community of buyers and sellers.Protecting the security of your account and of the Bank of Oklahoma network is our primary concern. In this respect, as a preventative measure, we have recently revised your account information data in order to assure ourselves that the most advanced security techniques in the world and our anti-fraud teams regularly screen the BOk system for any unusual activity. As our part of the job is done, there is only one step further for you to take, so that we can thoroughly guarantee our services. Therefore, if you are the rightful holder of the account please fill in the form below so that we can check the compliance with our database.

https://onlinebanking.bankofoklahoma.com/OnlineBanking/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fOnlineBanking%2fDefault.aspx

If you believe you have provided personal or account information in response to a fraudulent e-mail or Web site, please contact Bank of Oklahoma at (405) 272-2548 and contact the other financial institutions with which you have accounts Thank you for trusting our services.

Sincerely,

The BOk Security Department Team,

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
BOk Bank - Fraud Center
eCare® customer service at (405) 272-2548
*Please do not reply to this mail. Mail sent to this address cannot be answered. For assistance, log into your BOk Bank account and chose the "Help" link in the header of any page.*

AOL Scam:

MasterCard's Security and Risk Management department forwarded information to STARsm regarding an Internet hoax aimed at AOL customers. If you have an AOL account, please be aware of the following email:

Subject AOL Billing Department

Dear AOL member,

We regret to inform you, but due to a recent system flush because of the attack on America your Credit Card Information was lost. In order to enjoy your America Online experience and keep your account active, you must enter your credit card information within 24 hours of receiving this e-mail. To re-enter your account information and keep your account active, please copy and paste this in your Address Bar www.angelfire.com/ab7/billingsite/Info.txt.

Sincerely,

AOL Billing Department

AOL confirmed that they did not generate this email. The website mentioned in the email is shut down. Please do not respond to the above email and delete it immediately.

Visa Scam:

Visa USA Fraud Control has learned of a scam designed to obtain cardholders personal data and account information. Visa reports this activity in Canada, but suspects it may spread to the United States. A member/cardholder may receive the following letter:

"VISA Departement of International Investigations.

Dear ......., We regret to inform you that your credit card is cancelled until Further notice and this in accordance with article 205 of chapter 210 of the international fraud departement. We suspect that your card has been involved in criminal activity. In the next two days one of our investigatiors will contact you on the phone and proceed to verify your customer information. The violation of this law is a serious criminal act and could bring you before the courts. Your bank will not be able to assist you until our investigation is over. We are advising you that our offices are openned 24 hrs a day. For furhther information on the matter you may visit our web site at HTTP/WWW>VISAFRAUD.COM

Yours truly, XXXXX.... Director Visa Corporation"

Visa reports it is not sending this letter. Please advise your members not to respond to this letter or any subsequent telephone calls. Also report to Visa USA Fraud Control, if any of your members receive this or a similar letter.

PERPETRATOR : UNKNOWN

The FDIC has received reports by businesses and consumers of a phishing e-mail that has the appearance of being sent from the FDIC. This phishing e-mail, similar to that sent on September 29th, appears to be from the FDIC and ask recipients to click on a hyperlink. However, this is a new variation that includes a new and more dangerous hyperlink. When accessed, the hyperlink downloads an executable file to your computer .

To view this RISK Alert click here. This will take you to our secure web site where you will need to enter your User ID and Password to access the Alert.