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Why the FBI Director Doesn't Bank Online

Posted by samzenpus on from the crime-almost-paid dept.

angry tapir writes "The head of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation has stopped banking online after nearly falling for a phishing attempt. FBI Director Robert Mueller said he recently came 'just a few clicks away from falling into a classic Internet phishing scam' after receiving an e-mail that appeared to be from his bank."

5 of 360 comments (clear)

  1. Re:After reciving an e-mail that appeared... by dgarciam · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Makes you wonder. If the head of the FBI, the guy who knows all the secrets, that sees all the scams all the time almost falls for this, what can we expect from you average house folks? Scams are getting more and more elaborate this days. Not perfect, but getting there

  2. My bank does NOT know my email address by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I bank online about once a week. Everytime I connect, I check the HTTPS certificate. Also, my bank does not know my email address. If I get email from my bank, I KNOW it's a fake. period.

  3. Re:After reciving an e-mail that appeared... by corbettw · · Score: 5, Funny

    My take away from it was that the head of the FBI knows surprisingly little about phishing. Let's hope someone on his staff briefs him on 419 scams before he sends his life's savings to the former finance minister for the deposed Crown Prince of Nigeria.

    --
    God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.
  4. Re:Baby with the bath water? by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Mueller said. "Intruders are reaching into our networks every day looking for valuable information. Unfortunately they're finding it. "

    wait; who, again, are the bad guys?

    given their MO, I consider the feds and police to be 'bad guys' when it comes to their perceived right to 'sneek and peek' any damned place they want for any reason at all. attach a gps to your car? no problem. and on and on it goes.

    the government is THE WORST INTRUDER in our personal lives, these days.

    I worry much less about criminals. they have a lot less power over me and once they do their deed, they're gone from my life.

    --

    --
    "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
  5. Re:After reciving an e-mail that appeared... by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 5, Informative

    checked the links

    You don't check the links, you don't use them at all. Instead, you access the site through a bookmark, or via typing in the URL manually if you no longer have a bookmark. It's all too easy to confuse an l with an I or a 1. Or rn and m depending on what font you have. Or the attacker might play similar tricks using exotic characters that you do not even know to exist (How similar is a greek capital Rho to a capital P?).