Both are fraud victims. One lost money, and the other is posed to face a number of hassles. Police worry that the two victims are not alone.

Local authorities urge residents to exercise caution with their money and financial information based on new types of frauds now showing face in Oshkosh.

The e-mail scam, referred to as “phishing” by authorities, is becoming prevalent nationwide.

The Oshkosh victim received an official looking e-mail message that appeared to come from her bank. She was asked for information that was supposedly needed to verify her account.

“This is one of the big scams out there right now,” Charley said. “Banks and other businesses are hearing a lot about this.”

According to the Federal Trade Commission, the phishing scam is one that’s victimizing many. Criminals send spam e-mail messages pretending to be businesses alerting consumers that they need verified information.

Some consumers don’t question the source of the messages – they’re made to look official. Information entered by the recipient such as credit card or social security numbers are then used for fraudulent purposes, the FTC reports.

Consumers can protect themselves by not responding to business information that comes via e-mail. Consumers should not rely on the spam e-mail for phone numbers, because it could be part of the fraud, the FTC advises.