September 22, 2004

District Attorney Nola Tedesco Foulston warns citizens to be wary of any solicitation, by   e-mail or other means, requesting consumers provide bank account or other financial information.  

The District Attorney has learned of e-mail solicitations sent to consumers in the Wichita area directing consumers to click on a link which transfers them to a web site where they are directed to complete a form which requests bank account and/or credit card information.  This is a tactic used by criminals called APhishing@ because the tactic is similar to a fisherman casting bait into a pond hoping to deceive and catch a fish.  Criminals are hoping local consumers will Atake the bait@ and provide the information so the criminals can access the bank account or fraudulently use the credit card of the unsuspecting consumer.  Legitimate financial institutions do not solicit customer account or credit card information from their customers.  

In the event you receive such a solicitation, do not provide the information.  If you receive a request for information you believe may be legitimate, contact your financial institution before filling out forms or providing information.  Often the financial institutions who are the subject of such attacks have warnings posted on their websites outlining the known scams and providing details about the various techniques.  

If any consumers have been the victims of such a scheme, please report the event to the Internet Fraud Complaint Center at http://www.ifccfbi.gov/cf1.asp

For more information, contact Sharon Werner, Chief Attorney, Consumer Fraud and Economic Crime Division, at 383-7921.