'Phishing' tactics change, consumer awareness still lacking

MADISON, Wis. (10/20/05)--The Credit Union National Association (CUNA) has observed a change in phishing tactics over the last month, according to Dorothy Steffens, vice president of CUNA's Web Services.

"We're seeing multiple e-mails to the same recipient from different 'spoofed' cuna.org e-mail addresses. The current trend is to send five messages to each recipient," she said.

The target audience may have changed as well. "It seems they (phishers) are casting a wider net. We've seen a much higher volume of recipients, particularly targeting the educational domains," said Steffens. "Our ISP (Internet service provider) notified us that they had more than 200,000 undeliverable messages in one day."

Despite the increasing visibility of phishing, many recipients are still unaware of the nature of the scam.

"We've had consumers call us after we've successfully had a phishing site taken down to tell us there's an error with 'our' form," said Jim Hanson, vice president of CUNA's Center for Personal Finance. "In some cases they ask if they can provide us with their information over the phone."

Member education is the best defense against phishing, according to Hanson. "An educated member can spot a 'phish' a mile away. It's the most proactive step that you can take, and your members will thank you for it."

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Resource Links
Phishing--Don't Take the Bait statement stuffer
Identity Theft Seminar in a Box
Anti-Phishing Working Group
Resources to fight phishing fraud


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