The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has become aware of e-mails that appear to be sent from ViewPoint Bank Financial Solutions and the FDIC. The e-mail requests the recipient to register for a "SON - Secure Online Network" code to protect against credit card fraud. The e-mail instructs the recipient to click on a hyperlink to initiate "SON" registration in an attempt to acquire the recipient's personal financial information. These e-mails are fraudulent and were not sent by either ViewPoint Bank or the FDIC. Financial institutions and consumers should NOT access the link provided within the body of these e-mails and should NOT, under any circumstances, provide any personal financial information through this media. The FDIC does not directly contact consumers, nor does the FDIC request personal financial information from consumers.

The fraudulent e-mails describe fictitious relationships between the FDIC and VISA, MasterCard, Yahoo, eBay, Amazon.com, and Half.com. The e-mails claim that consumers will receive a 15 percent discount at various Web sites upon completion of the form. These fraudulent e-mails may be modified over time, reflecting different financial institution names or business relationships.

The FDIC is attempting to identify the source of the fraudulent e-mails and disrupt the transmission. Until this is achieved, consumers and financial institutions should notify the FDIC at alert@fdic.gov of any similar attempts to obtain personal financial information.