An e-mail posing as a warning to Northeast Bank customers encouraging them to divulge personal account information is a hoax.
The fraudulent e-mail, sent Thursday morning, warns consumers that personal account information was compromised by an electronic ruse called phishing and that their accounts are frozen. It then directs people to call an 877 number to reactivate their debit card accounts by providing confidential account information.
"We are not going to send an e-mail asking for PIN or account numbers," said Linda Verrill, spokeswoman for the bank. "No legitimate bank does that."
She said bank officials received a few phone calls alerting them to the scam, but the bank was unaware of any clients who actually revealed their personal information.
Northeast is a member of nophishing.org, a coalition of financial institutions that tries to shut down phishing practices and educate consumers. She said the coalition's Web site has detailed guidelines on how to spot phony e-mails and what to do if you fall for one.
In addition, Northeast Bank posts examples of phishing practices on its Web site, northeastbank.com. The Web site's Consumer Alert link posts eight examples, the most recent of which was Thursday's, carrying the subject line Consumer Alert: Increase in Fraudulent E-mails.
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