In a Jan. 12 alert to banks, the FDIC said it had received numerous consumer reports about the phishing attacks, which appear to be emails sent from the agency.
The email informs the recipient that – "in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, federal, state and local governments” – the FDIC has withdrawn deposit insurance from his or her account “due to account activity that violates the Patriot Act” and that the insurance will be suspended until the recipient’s identity and account information can be verified using IDVerify, the FDIC explained.
The agency warned consumers that if they go to the link provided in the phishing email, they will likely be asked for personal and confidential information or have malicious malware loaded on their computers.
The FDIC is trying to identify the source of the phishing attack and disrupt the transmission. “Until this is achieved, consumers are asked to report any similar attempts to obtain this information to the FDIC by sending information to alert@fdic.gov”, the agency said. It did not indicate how many consumers had been affected by the fraudulent emails.
This phishing attack is similar to one launched in 2004, when the agency’s call centers were overwhelmed by complaints about fraudulent emails warning about suspension of account deposit insurance because of Patriot Act violations.