The NJSBA issued an informational warning to members about recent activity to be cautious about.
There has been an upsurge in man-in-the-middle attacks, where attackers use a tool called a Pineapple and other schemes to intercept a phone’s effort to connect with a legitimate Wi-Fi source. Instead the tools redirect to a nefarious SSID, the formal name for a wireless network, allowing personal data such as passwords, email content and account numbers to become vulnerable or compromised.
What is particularly concerning about these attacks is that tools like Pineapples make it very simple for people to undertake, even those with very few computer skills.
A key takeaway is to avoid leaving WiFi enabled on a mobile phone, unless it is absolutely necessary, and to be wary of any free connections or places that are not trusted.
In addition, wire transfer requests should continue to be treated with suspicion and caution. As this type of fraud proliferates, hackers frequently send emails that look uncannily as though the requests are coming from trusted emails.
To keep your practice and data safe, treat all requests to transfer funds or change account information with extreme caution. Instead of replying to the email, call the institution that allegedly sent the message to inquire and verify the request.
As a special note, the NJSBA will never ask you to transfer funds.