“We suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account. To ensure that your account is not compromised, please click the link below and confirm your identity.”
Have you received email with a similar message? It’s a scam called “phishing” – and it involves Internet fraudsters who send spam or pop-up messages to lure personal information (credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords, or other sensitive information) from unsuspecting victims.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, phishers send an email or pop-up message that claims to be from a business or organization that you may deal with — for example, an Internet service provider (ISP), bank, online payment service, or even a government agency. The message may ask you to “update,” “validate,” or “confirm” your account information. Some phishing emails threaten a dire consequence if you don’t respond. The messages direct you to a website that looks just like a legitimate organization’s site. But it isn’t. It’s a bogus site whose sole purpose is to trick you into divulging your personal information so the operators can steal your identity and run up bills or commit crimes in your name.
Tips to help you avoid getting hooked by a phishing scam:
• If you get an email or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply. And don’t click on the link in the message, either.
• Area codes can mislead. If you need to reach an organization you do business with, call the number on your financial statements or on the back of your credit card, not one provided by an email.
• Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software, as well as a firewall, and update them all regularly.
• Don’t email personal or financial information. Email is not a secure method of transmitting personal information.
• Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to check for unauthorized charges.
• Be cautious about opening attachments or downloading files from emails, regardless of who sent them. These files can contain viruses or other software that can weaken your computer’s security.
• If you believe you’ve been scammed, file your complaint at ftc.gov. You can learn other ways to avoid email scams and deal with deceptive spam at ftc.gov/spam.
