Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand ForksSchemes & Rip Offs: Fake Bank Account Sites

Internet scammers trying to break into your bank account is nothing new.  But now they've found a way to cover their tracks so you might not even know any money is missing.

Stephen Cobb of ESET Security says the cyber world is a great hiding place when crooks get into our online bank accounts, and that's the prize these days.

"The ability to draw money out of your bank account without you knowing it is probably more advantageous than stealing your credit card,"  Cobb said.

So how are they doing it?  The first part is pretty much the same all the time, scammers will sneak viruses onto your computer and steal your user names and passwords.

The twist this time, once they take your money, they're hiding their tracks.

"Now we've all seen movies where the bad guys trick the surveillance camera into seeing something that's not there," Cobb said.  "Well this is how the web browser works when the bad guys have taken it over."

Basically the scam artists create a fake page.  It looks like your bank account but hides the fact your money's missing.

"So if it's your Bank of America account, it looks like Bank of America, you're at Bank of America but what they're showing you is their version of Bank of America," Cobb said.@

The FBI is also warning about a new bank related scam.

This one uses spam e-mails that appear to be from government agencies like the Federal Reserve or Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. 

When you open the e-mail, you're told there's a problem with your bank account.  But if you click the link you go to a phony website that downloads malware to steal your banking information.

Cobb says the easiest way to fight both new scams is to have a virus protection program on your computer and use it.