U.S. Bank Customers Targeted in Email Phishing Scam

An e-mail phishing scam that claims to come from U.S. Bank contains U.S. Bank logos and graphics has been sent out to many Utah residents.  The email tells recipients that they are required to sign up for a program called “Verified by Visa” and provide their personal account information through a Web link.

The message also tells recipients that if they don’t comply with the instructions, their account will be immediately disabled. The Utah Division of Consumer Protection said that the scam was tracked and discovered to have originated in Romania.

Consumers in other states who entered their account numbers into the fake Web link became victims of identity theft.  They had money transferred from their personal accounts, without their authorization, to a pre-paid debit card, the division said.

Consumers who receive the phishing e-mail should delete the message from their inboxes without entering any information.  People who have opened the message should run an anti-virus program on their computer immediately.