Today, threats of identify theft come in many forms. It is important that you learn how to recognize these fraudulent emails, to protect yourself from identity theft. Personally, I delete all emails sent from people I do not recognize.
Most fraudulent emails pretend to come from banks or other institutions that you would ordinarily trust. They use this trust in an attempt to get you to give up your personal information. Most of these emails tell you that the bank has "reviewed your account", and that you need to confirm your information. Ironically, many such emails tell you that giving them your personal information will help protect your account from identity theft.
These emails will tell you to click a link in the email, which appears to lead to your bank site. The email will likely tell you not to reply to the email, but that the best response is to click the link and "log in" to your account. There, you will be directed to enter your login information, and probably other financial details as well. Commonly requested information in phishing email schemes include bank routing numbers, account numbers, PIN numbers and passwords, and Social Security numbers. You should not give these numbers out online, even if you believe the request to be legitimate. Banks and other financial institutions will never send you emails requesting this information.
However, these links do not direct you to your real bank's website, but a site that has been created to look just like it. Both the email and the website are made to look legitimate, but they are not. If in doubt about the legitimacy of an email, go directly to your bank's site. DO NOT click on the link in the email; type in the real website address directly. Any legitimate concerns with your account can be found on the real website.
If you cannot tell if an email is legitimate, here are some tips. Phishing emails will be directed to "valued customer" or another generic greeting, while real emails use your name. These emails often have grammatical errors or misspelled words, another tip-off that you are reading a scam email.
If you accidentally respond to one of these phishing emails, you need to contact all of your account providers immediately. Change your passwords and PIN numbers, and keep a close eye on activity in your account. If you are a victim of such a scheme, do not feel guilty or ashamed. Identity theft is a relatively new threat, and it is easy to fall for such a scheme.
Variations of scam emails include those claiming that you have won money, and need to respond with your information to claim it. These emails should be deleted immediately as well for your personal protection. Never respond unless you know who sent the email even if it uses your complete name as the recipient since this one can not save you from identity theft. If in doubt, contact that person or company directly to find out if the email is legitimate. Never trust links in the email to take you to a legitimate site, as the vast majority will not.
Report any spam emails you receive by clicking the "report spam" link in your email inbox. This will help them devise more ways to keep these emails from ever reaching your inbox in the first place.
Most fraudulent emails pretend to come from banks or other institutions that you would ordinarily trust. They use this trust in an attempt to get you to give up your personal information. Most of these emails tell you that the bank has "reviewed your account", and that you need to confirm your information. Ironically, many such emails tell you that giving them your personal information will help protect your account from identity theft.
These emails will tell you to click a link in the email, which appears to lead to your bank site. The email will likely tell you not to reply to the email, but that the best response is to click the link and "log in" to your account. There, you will be directed to enter your login information, and probably other financial details as well. Commonly requested information in phishing email schemes include bank routing numbers, account numbers, PIN numbers and passwords, and Social Security numbers. You should not give these numbers out online, even if you believe the request to be legitimate. Banks and other financial institutions will never send you emails requesting this information.
However, these links do not direct you to your real bank's website, but a site that has been created to look just like it. Both the email and the website are made to look legitimate, but they are not. If in doubt about the legitimacy of an email, go directly to your bank's site. DO NOT click on the link in the email; type in the real website address directly. Any legitimate concerns with your account can be found on the real website.
If you cannot tell if an email is legitimate, here are some tips. Phishing emails will be directed to "valued customer" or another generic greeting, while real emails use your name. These emails often have grammatical errors or misspelled words, another tip-off that you are reading a scam email.
If you accidentally respond to one of these phishing emails, you need to contact all of your account providers immediately. Change your passwords and PIN numbers, and keep a close eye on activity in your account. If you are a victim of such a scheme, do not feel guilty or ashamed. Identity theft is a relatively new threat, and it is easy to fall for such a scheme.
Variations of scam emails include those claiming that you have won money, and need to respond with your information to claim it. These emails should be deleted immediately as well for your personal protection. Never respond unless you know who sent the email even if it uses your complete name as the recipient since this one can not save you from identity theft. If in doubt, contact that person or company directly to find out if the email is legitimate. Never trust links in the email to take you to a legitimate site, as the vast majority will not.
Report any spam emails you receive by clicking the "report spam" link in your email inbox. This will help them devise more ways to keep these emails from ever reaching your inbox in the first place.
