E-mail Phishing: Internet Scammers Fishing for Innocent People to Harm

E-mail Phishing is a term used to identify the efforts of internet scammers who fish for people who will give them their private information such as passwords, bank accounts, social security number, and/or credit card accounts. Often, these internet scammers will pretend to working for legitimate companies and ask for sensitive information. Do not give your personal information to them.

The first clue that you are being phished is when a company sends you an email asking you to verify personal information. They often put a link back to their website, when you click on the website; it looks like the legitimate company's website with slight differences. Do not fall for this scam. Before you act on an email, contact the company and verify that they indeed sent the email. Do not call the number or use the email address given in the email, use the number, email address or website you have listed in your paperwork.

Scammers often send an email that has disturbing information that will cause a normal person to want to react immediately. Please stop for a moment and take a deep breath, then when you are calmer contact the company. If you use the company's website to contact them about this matter, do not use the web address in the email. It is most likely a fake address and will cause you much grief. When you contact the company, probably you will hear that the email didn't originate with them and they know nothing about it. Ask if there is an email address within the company that you can forward the spam. Let their department that handles email abuse try to track down the scammers. Also consider forwarding the email to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov.

If you just can't help yourself and you click on the website link within the email, look to see if the address has https:// at the beginning. More than likely it won't. The "s" in https in a web address indicates it is a safe and secure site. Always double check by clicking on the yellow lock near the bottom of your screen. Doing this lets you verify that this site in indeed secure. If you get a message telling you that the security certificate does not match, stop DO NOT continue; this site is most likely a fake.

Be vigilant and check all your accounts on a regular basis for suspicious activity and for transactions you don't remember making. This includes your credit cards, debit cards, and bank statements. If you feel that you are a victim of phishing, call your bank and your credit card companies immediately to information them of the event. Contact one of the credit reporting bureaus and let them know what has happened. You only need to contact only one of the credit bureaus because they will contact the other two for you.
Equifax: PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241 1-800-525-6285
www.equifax.com
Experian: PO Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com
Trans Union: Fraud Victim Assistance Division, PO Box 6790 Fullerton, CA 92834-6790, 1-800-680-7289 www.transunion.com

Once you have filed a fraud report you are entitled to a free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus. When you get the reports, check them carefully for fraudulent or incorrect information. Look thoroughly to see if your name, social security number, employers, and addresses are all correct. Make sure there are not any accounts listed that you didn't open and look to make sure all the debts were created by you. To learn more about correcting the fraudulent information in your credit report(s) visit the Federal Trade Commission's website. (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/consumers/resolving-specific-id-theftproblems.html#CorrectingFraudulentInformationinCreditReports)

If you believe that you are a victim of a spammer and want to provide information to help other consumers please visit the Federal Trade Commissions (FTC) website (www.ftc.gov) and file a complaint. As a preventative measure go there today and take their online quiz that tests your knowledge about identity theft. It's an interactive quiz that lets you regain your identity if you correctly answer eight questions. There is a 10 minute video that discusses identity theft and its impact on consumers and businesses. The FTC website has in-depth information on how to recover from identity theft.

Be cautious when answering emails. Never give out sensitive information such as your social security number or bank account numbers even if they just want to verify information they claim they already know. Be alert and be aware that reputable companies will not contact you and ask for personal information.