Important Security Update! Visa/Mastercard clientele

June of 2012 an unsolicited email is going around saying the following:

SUBJECT: Important Security Update!
DATE: Wednesday, June 13, 2012 9:21 PM
FROM: "Visa/Matercard Safety Unit" <departmentofsecurity@visa-mastercard.com.id139-canada.bankingservices.so>

Dear Visa/Mastercard clientele,

During the past few years there have been a massive number of identity theft attempts targeting Visa/Mastercard customers. To protect your account credentials, we require you to corroborate your credit card account details. The following process is obligatory, and if not completed within the nearest amount of time your credit card(s) may be subject to permanent suspension.

To solidly confirm your Mastercard and/or Visa credit card(s) credentials:

http://www.mcsc-vbv.hk.6172.id982471.biz/Identity-Verification

If your having issues viewing the full page content, please reload your web browser.

MasterCard SecureCode/Verified By Visa 1994-2012


Not just that link many found hosted on id982471.biz are NOT to be trusted!

See WOT for more info: https://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/id982471.biz

If you fall for the phishing attempt and believe it is truly to verify your credit card and go to the site then you are brought to a page that ask you to VERIFY your IDENTIFICATION by entering your MasterCard or Visa Credit Card number. It makes it look secure by having a ReCaptcha image where you put in the letters you see but that does NOT mean the page is secure at all. First of all the site is not https:// and second of all this site is hosted on id98271.biz and not a credit card site.

If you put in your credit card information and click continue then you are brought to a page asking for more information. This next page asks for the Credit Card expiry as well as the Signature Panel Code (which are the last 3 numbers on the back of the credit card that "prove" you are actually in possession the card .. so don't give that number out).

(See MasterCard security information here: http://www.mastercard.com/za/merchant/en/downloads/10862_MasterCard_Card_Identification_Features.pdf)

After you submit that information then it looks like it is processing and making sure the information is correct and then brings you to the next page which asks for all your personal information such as the name on your card, your employer's name, your billing address, your date of birth, your Social Security Number or Social Insurance Number (depending on where you are viewing this from) and your mother's maiden name (the most common "secret question" which is surprisingly easy to guess from social networking sites in the first place but this just makes it that much easier to fraud you without getting caught).

This phishing attempt appears to come from Haidian District,Beijing, China.