Phishing Scams: Don’t Get “Hooked”

Phishing Scams are a type of identity theft designed to steal money from unsuspecting victims via email, telephone, fax, regular mail, pop-up messages, and even text messages.

 

How to recognize a potential phishing email:

• Spelling and Grammar are poor
• Links in the email usually link to a spoof of a well known company.
• Threats such as: “your account will be permanently blocked.”

 

Don’t Get “Hooked”

• Never give out personal Information to an unsolicited inquirer. Things like: your computer user name or password, bank account information, birth date, social security number, mother’s maiden name, etc. will give the inquirer just enough information to steal your identity and your money.
• Be cautious about opening any attachment, link or downloading any files from suspicious emails.

 

To find out more about phishing scams and identity theft click here.http://www.irs.gov/uac/Suspicious-e-Mails-and-Identity-Theft

 

Known Phishing Scams That Use Popular Company Logos:

IRS ~ LinkedIn ~ DHL ~ USPS ~ UPS ~ Amazon ~ Ebay ~ Facebook ~ My Space

Or any Financial Institution or Bank

 

If you are ever uncertain of the authenticity of an email, independently go to that company’s website without clicking on any link in the email to get further information and to see if the email is legitimate. You can also Google search that company and get a phone number and call them to enquire about the email.

 

Remember, never click or download any attachment or link in an email you are uncertain about.