Thursday, 5/22/2008

How to Avoid Phishing Scams

“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.”

“During our regular verification of accounts, we couldn’t verify your information. Please click here to update and verify your information.”

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 from unsuspecting victims.

Phishers send an email or pop-up message that claims to be from a business or organization that you may deal with, such as banks or online payment services. The message may ask you to update, validate, or confirm your account information. Some threaten a dire consequence if you don’t respond. The messages direct you to a web site that looks just like a legitimate 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.

Here are some tips to thwart the crooks:

• If you get an email or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply. And don’t click on any links in the message. If you are concerned about your account, contact the organization mentioned in the email using a telephone number you know to be genuine, or open a new Internet browser session and type in the company’s correct Web address. Never cut and paste the link from the message into your Internet browser as the link may go to a phony site.

• Some scammers send an email that appears to be from a legitimate business, and ask you to call a phone number to update your account. If you think there might really be a problem, call the number on your financial statements or on the back of your credit card and not the one in the email message.

• Use good quality anti-virus and anti-spyware software, as well as a firewall. Keep them updated. Some emails contain software that can harm your computer or track your activities on the Internet without your knowledge.

• Don’t email personal information because email is not secure.

• Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to check for unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your credit card company or bank to confirm your billing address and account balances.

• Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from emails you receive, regardless of who sent them. These files can contain viruses or other software that can weaken your computer’s security.

If you fall victim to one of these crooks, contact all of the major credit bureaus immediately and request assistance to prevent any further attempts to obtain credit in your name. Also contact all credit companies and banks you deal with to check for unauthorized activity.

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