Phishing is a difficult enough form of fraud to avoid for most computer users, but when some of the biggest names in the financial industry fail to do their part to detect and eliminate these online scams, consumers often are placed in an untenable situation.

Case in point: A source recently forwarded a link to one of the “best” phishing attacks I’ve ever seen. This one — targeting the tiny Mountain America credit union in Salt Lake City, Utah — arrives in an HTML-based e-mail telling recipients that their Mountain America credit union card was automatically enrolled in the Verified by Visa program, a legitimate security program offered by Visa that is supposed to provide “reassurance that only you can use your Visa card online.”

The fake MountainAmerica.net Web site

The e-mail includes the first five digits of the “enrolled card,” but those five digits are found on all Mountain America bank cards, so that portion of the scam is likely to be highly convincing for some recipients. The message directs readers to click on a link and activate their new Verified by Visa membership.

Beware, make sure your non tech-savvy friends & relatives are aware of how tricky these scammers are getting.

Someone YOU know could be falling for this soon.

Sources: Slashdot – Washington Post