Best Buy Hoax Notification

Here is an excerpt from an e-mail I got today. If you ever get e-mail purportedly from a company that asks for you to divulge personal information, there is a high likelihood that it is one of the many social engineering attacks running around. Popular ones try to snag AOL and eBay/Pay Pal users. Be wary of what e-mails and Internet sites you trust your personal information to!!

IMPORTANT: E-MAIL HOAX NOTIFICATION

Late Wednesday afternoon, June 18, 2003, Best Buy became aware of an unauthorized and deceptive e-mail to consumers titled “Fraud Alert.” That e-mail message, which requested personal information (i.e., social security and credit card numbers), claimed to come from the BestBuy.com Fraud Department. That message was NOT from Best Buy or any of our affiliates.

Best Buy is working with the appropriate law enforcement authorities to quickly resolve the situation. We are working to shut down sites affiliated with that unauthorized e-mail and Best Buy will work with law enforcement authorities to prosecute any perpetrators involved in this illegal act to the fullest extent of the law. If you replied to the fraudulent
e-mail in any way, contact your bank and/or credit card companies immediately.

No Best Buy systems have been compromised, and our online business is secure. The privacy of your personal information is of the utmost importance to Best Buy and any information you provide to us is handled according to our Privacy Policy.