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County of Ventura Computers Involved In Phishing Incident
By Ventura County Sheriff Department — Wednesday, March 30th, 2011
 Ventura County Sheriff's Department The Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into reports that a County of Ventura computer used in processing on-line payments was the target of an illegal phishing operation. (Phishing is the practice of luring unsuspecting Internet users to a fraudulent web site by using authentic-looking emails with the real organization’s information or logo in an attempt to gather user information). The phishing incident originated from a source in the Philippines. It was accomplished by generating duplicate on-line payment receipts sent out through emails to individuals who had previously processed payments through Ventura County Superior Courts and/or Ventura County’s WebTax online and telephone payment systems. However, no financial or confidential information was disclosed as the County of Ventura does not capture or store that type of information in its on-line payment system. That information is captured by the County’s secure 3rd party payment vendor, whose system was not compromised. The web system error that allowed this phishing incident was identified and resolved as of Saturday evening, March 26, 2011. As a result of this phishing incident, email addresses and additional information such as telephone numbers may have been captured by the phishing perpetrators whose function is to solicit information or send future Spam. The Sheriff’s Office wishes to make the public aware of the possibility of being contacted by solicitors via e-mail or phone stating there may be "a problem with a payment" and asking people to solicit funds or more personal information in order to resolve the problem. If a member of the public receives an e-mail or a phone call referencing a "past" payment (prior to 3/25/2011) that was made to the County, it is important they do not respond or provide any credit card, financial information, or personal identification. Instead, they should contact the County of Ventura’s Tax Collector or Superior Court to validate whether you have a payment due and those offices will instruct you accordingly. The Ventura County Courts and Tax Collector's offices have staff available to answer questions on the matter. The telephone numbers for those offices are: Location: 800 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura CA 93003 |
