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Bank Scam, This one could be dangerous for a certain banks customers

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Frank & Jodi Orlando Get Us A Home Realty Atlanta Homes Sale

      Seen a lot of schemes lately, but, this one almost got past us because I was not paying attention. The email subject was,

Stay Safe - Second Warning

Content was:

Because you did not respond to our first warning
we were obligated to change your account status.
We have to do this for the safety of your account and your
personal informations.

New Account Status

Account temporary suspended

The link that was supplied leads to an exact replica of Wachovia's log in page. So what was wrong? Check out the web address "wach0via".com, pretty sneaky, replaced the o with 0. Name belongs to someone in China. the other clue? at the bottom of the page:

After this steps are done an Wachovia reprezentative will call
you so you can finish this security measurements.

You just can't relax in this day of age...

Tony and Suzanne Marriott, Associate Brokers
Serving the Greater Phoenix and Scottsdale Metropolitan Area - Scottsdale, AZ
Haven Express @ Keller Williams Arizona Realty

Unfortunately - one of the down sides of the internet.  Since this type of scam persists, it likely means that some folks are falling for it.

Aug 28, 2008 02:46 AM
Charlie Ragonesi
AllMountainRealty.com - Big Canoe, GA
Homes - Big Canoe, Jasper, North Georgia Pros

wow , it is getting more and more sophisticated. Why aren't we putting these people in mass in jail for a long time with nasty prisoners! That would stop it

Aug 28, 2008 02:47 AM
Mott Marvin Kornicki
Waterway Realtors® • Notary Public & Apostille - Sunny Isles, FL
Miami Notary & Apostille 786-229-7999

The scammers are getting more clever! I've seen where they copy a major banks logo and try to scam the public. The Internet brings out the best and the worst in people.

Aug 28, 2008 02:48 AM
Brian Brumpton
Keller Williams Boise - Boise, ID
Boise Idaho Real Estate

Thanks Frank I get these daily.  I especially like the ones for banks in which I do not have accounts.  Always check the web address or better yet if you do online banking enter the banks address yourself manually or access it from a favorites page.  Don't follow links in these types of emails.

Aug 28, 2008 02:52 AM
Frank & Jodi Orlando
Frank & Jodi Orlando Get Us A Home Realty Atlanta Homes Sale - Cumming, GA

Tony, Charlie, Mott - This one is really slick, Now you have to pay close attention to the web address...

Aug 28, 2008 02:53 AM
Bill Gillhespy
16 Sunview Blvd - Fort Myers Beach, FL
Fort Myers Beach Realtor, Fort Myers Beach Agent - Homes & Condos

Hi Frank,  These scams keep getting better and better !   I think the best advice is to never follow a supplied link .  That way you know it is actually the site you entered.

Aug 28, 2008 02:55 AM
Larry Bettag
Cherry Creek Mortgage Illinois Residential Mortgage License LMB #0005759 Cherry Creek Mortgage NMLS #: 3001 - Saint Charles, IL
Vice-President of National Production

There are too many scams out there.  Needless to say....thanks for the heads up.

Aug 28, 2008 02:55 AM
Frank & Jodi Orlando
Frank & Jodi Orlando Get Us A Home Realty Atlanta Homes Sale - Cumming, GA

Brian - I like your idea of manually typing the address, unfortunately this was one of my lazy days.

Aug 28, 2008 02:56 AM
Lane Bailey
Century 21 Results Realty - Suwanee, GA
Realtor & Car Guy

I get these things constantly for banks I don't have accounts with... or that aren't even active in the region.  Phishing at it worst. 

Aug 28, 2008 02:57 AM
Hope Goss
Ventura Property Shoppe - Ventura, CA
Ventura Real Estate

Yes, the internet tests our intelligence on a daily basis.  I get this stuff all the time!

Aug 28, 2008 03:00 AM
Frank & Jodi Orlando
Frank & Jodi Orlando Get Us A Home Realty Atlanta Homes Sale - Cumming, GA

Lane - I do not pay attention to a lot of them, but I bank with wachovia and often transfer funds online.

Hope - maybe a spell checker for web adresses is a good idea?

Aug 28, 2008 03:05 AM
Adam Hankey
Search Engine Marketing Strategist - Myrtle Beach, SC
Internet Marketing, MLS IDX, Web Design

Yeah they are sneaky!  It's scary when they even pick a local bank that only has offices in your geographical area. That's a clue that they at least have figured out how to calculate your general area then start choosing banks located there.

Only the dumb crooks get caught. We need to watch out for these guys.

A~

Picture of Real Estate Media: Adam Hankey - Design & Marketing of MLS sites (InterCoastal Net Designs)

Aug 28, 2008 03:08 AM
Frank & Jodi Orlando
Frank & Jodi Orlando Get Us A Home Realty Atlanta Homes Sale - Cumming, GA

Adam - A couple years ago there was a scam using one of our domain names as a return address. Over the course of 5 days we received over 5000 could not deliver emails. So how many total were sent? A LOT! It was another domain name from China...

Aug 28, 2008 03:13 AM