The Hall County Sheriff’s Office is currently receiving complaints about phishing and other types of email and Internet fraud.
Phishing is a high-tech scam that uses Spam messages to deceive you into disclosing your credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords, or other sensitive information.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), phishers send an email or pop-up message that claims to be from a business or organization that you deal with – for example, your Internet service provider (ISP), bank, online payment service, or even a government agency. The message usually says that you need to “update” or “validate” your account information. It might threaten some dire consequence if you do not respond. The message directs you to a Web site that looks just like a legitimate organization’s site, but it is not.
Current email messages appear to be from E-Bay, CitiBank, SunTrust, and other financial institutions.
If you get an email or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply or click on the link in the message. Legitimate companies do not ask for this information via email. If you are concerned about your account, contact the organization in the email using a telephone number you know to be genuine, or open a new Internet browser session and type in the company’s correct Web address. In any case, do not cut and paste the link in the message.
If you are a victim of Internet or phishing fraud, please contact your financial institution and the three credit bureaus, and Investigator Jeff Merry of the Hall County Sheriff’s Office at 770-531- 6879
1st Lieutenant Jeff Strickland
Uniform Patrol Division
Hall County Sheriff's Office