Phishermen stealing food from the mouths of Children

It never ceases to amaze me how cyber criminals seem to have NO conscience, whatsoever.

The FBI and IC3 are reporting that EPPICards, which are set up as debit cards to disburse child support payments are the latest target of the phishermen.

In this instance, they are literally stealing food from the mouths of children.

From the FBI press release:

The FBI and its partner, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), have received reports of phishing attacks targeting users of EPPICards. The EPPICard is similar to a debit card. EPPICards are issued by a state agency for the purpose of receiving child-support payments. The cards are currently used in 15 states.

Individuals have reported receiving e-mail or text messages indicating a problem with their account. They are directed to follow the link provided in the message to update their account or correct the problem. The link actually directs the individuals to a fraudulent web site where their personal information, such as account number and PIN, is compromised.

My humble guess is that if a parent is being forced to support their children by loading funds on a EPPIcard, the kids in question could really use the money.

If you happen to spot one of these phishing or vishing attempts, please take the time to report it to IC3.

If you want to learn more about phishing and other related Internet scams, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently posted a series of videos on YouTube that can be viewed, here.

Full press release, here.