What is “phishing”?
Phishing is a method thieves and con-men use to get personal information from you in order to steal your identity and then your money or benefits. Pretending to be from a legitimate retailer, bank or government agency, the sender asks for you to ‘confirm’ your personal information for some made-up reasons:
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Your account is about to be closed
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An order for something has been placed in your name…or…
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Your information has been lost because of a computer problem.
Typically you receive an email from a bank asking you to go to its site (with the link provided) to re-enter your most personal information. The link takes you to a bogus website!
Another tactic phishers use is to say they’re from the fraud departments of well known companies and ask to verifyyour information because they suspect you may be a victim of identity theft!
In other cases, phishers claim to be from a state lottery commission and request people’s banking information to deposit their “winnings” in their accounts.
When you receive an email message for example from eBay or your bank, claiming that you have an account problem or question from a buyer…it’s probably a “phishing scam” intended to trick you into typing your password.
*** ! DO NOT CLICK THE LINK IN THE MESSAGE ! ***
If in doubt, go into your browser and type the web address manually.
PLEASE CALL US FOR ADVICE IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS.