New cyberschemes are targeting individuals, universities and businesses

When Duke Franklin received a bill from his telecommunication carrier, he was shocked to see that he owed triple the amount he normally paid. He immediately called the company to report the discrepancy, but the customer service representative told him his account balance was correct.

During the call, the company rep reviewed with Duke a long list of his supposed calls. Duke only confirmed two. Obviously, someone had stolen Duke's account information and used his identity to make fraudulent telephone calls.

Telecommunication scam

Duke was a victim of a phishing scam that the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported on May 8, 2013. (See Phishing Attacks on Telecommunication Customers Resulting in Account Takeovers.) Like most phishing scams, this one is still going strong.

According to the IC3, a potential victim receives an automated telephone call that claims to be from that person's telecommunication carrier. The victim is directed to a phishing site at which the victim is told that he or she will be able to receive a "credit, discount or prize ranging from $300 to $500."