[Vision2020] Fwd: NEWS RELEASE

[Tom Trail]

>Visionaires:   This may be an item of interest


Tom Trail

>Contact:
>Marilyn Chastain
>Bureau Chief
>Securities Bureau
>(208) 332 8000
>
>NEWS RELEASE
>
>For Immediate Release:  October 27, 2006
>
>THE IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE WARNS ONLINE INVESTORS TO BEWARE OF 
>HACK ATTACKS
>Investors Urged to Carefully Monitor Online Trading Accounts
>
>        BOISE, IDAHO - The Idaho Department of Finance today warned 
>investors to carefully monitor their online trading accounts in the 
>wake of "hack attacks" in which predators have broken into customer 
>accounts at online brokerages in the United States and Canada and 
>made unauthorized trades worth millions of dollars.
>
>        "The number of these attacks on investors continues to rise 
>as identity thieves increasingly target the securities industry," 
>said Gavin Gee. "Investors need to carefully guard their financial 
>information and continuously monitor their online brokerage records 
>to ensure that they are not subject to this type of fraud."
>
>        Federal and industry authorities are investigating recent 
>cases in which hackers gained access to customer accounts at several 
>large online brokers and used the customers' funds to buy certain 
>thinly traded microcap securities, also known as penny stocks. The 
>hackers appeared to be running a "pump and dump" scheme, trying to 
>drive up share prices so they could sell the stocks at a profit.
>
>        These scams typically begin with a hacker obtaining customer 
>passwords and user names, then liquefying that person's existing 
>stock holding and using the proceeds to buy share in the microcap. 
>They then wire the money to either an offshore account or through a 
>series of straw men or dummy corporations.
>
>        "As investors become increasingly comfortable with the ease 
>and sophistication of services offered by online brokerages, we want 
>to make sure that they remember not to let their guard down when 
>they boot up their computers," Gee said.
>
>        In order to help consumers guard their online financial 
>information from predators, Gee recommends that they follow these 
>tips:
>
>
>Tips To Protect Yourself Online
>
>1.    Ask your online brokerage to always confirm all transfers and 
>transactions.
>2.    Never use unprotected computers, whether at an airport, 
>library or an office, for use when accessing your financial accounts 
>or records.
>
>3.    Keep the security features of your computer software 
>up-to-date. This includes your Web browser, virus scan software and 
>firewall. Email attachments and links within email can contain 
>viruses and infect your computer without your knowledge.
>
>4.    Never provide your online account information when requested 
>by email - your online broker would already have this information! 
>Don't respond to unsolicited emails from companies that you do 
>business with requesting that you revalidate your personal 
>information or that provide a link to web sites that require you to 
>revalidate your account information. These links often lead to bogus 
>web sites that look legitimate in order to fool you into providing 
>secure information.
>
>5.    Before entering personal information on any web site, look for 
>the "locked padlock" icon on the browser frame, or "https" at the 
>beginning of the web address to ensure that the site is secure.
>
>6.    Change passwords regularly.
>
>7.    Log off the web site after you have submitted an application 
>or concluded a secure online session.
>
>8.    When your computer is not in use, shut it down or disconnect 
>it from the Internet.
>
>9.    If you think you may have fallen victim to an online scam, 
>change your passwords, contact your online brokerage immediately, 
>and monitor your account activity closely.
>
>10.  If you see any inaccuracies concerning your account, contact 
>your online brokerage immediately.
>
>        For more information about online investing and how to 
>protect yourself from fraud, visit the Investing Online Resource 
>Center at http://www.investingonline.org, a project of NASAA, the 
>oldest international organization devoted to investor protection. 
>NASAA's membership consists of the securities administrators in the 
>50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin 
>Islands, the provinces and territories of Canada, and Mexico.
>
>


-- 
Dr. Tom Trail
International Trails
1375 Mt. View Rd.
Moscow, Id. 83843
Tel:  (208) 882-6077
Fax:  (208) 882-0896
e mail ttrail at moscow.com
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