Don't get phished in by e-mail scams
Your account may have been accessed by a third party.
We can't process a payment for your outstanding balance.
Maybe your account is going to be deactivated, too.
Whatever the case may be, we need you to send us a whole bunch of personal information, right away. Only if you do so can we protect you/process your payment/keep your account active.
Sound familiar?
If you have an e-mail account, I'm sure you have seen such messages, along with many variations on the infamous "Nigerian letter" or notification that you've won a lottery in a foreign country you probably didn't even know existed.
I mention this because one of my co-workers at the Deseret News has been keeping me posted on similar e-mails she has received at work recently. And it made me think that this might be a good time to remind people that e-mail scams and "phishing" schemes are alive and well especially as you prepare to shop online or respond to pleas for charitable contributions during the holiday season.
So, as a reminder, here are some tips from the Federal Trade Commission to protect yourself from phishing scams:
• If you get an e-mail or pop-up that asks for personal or financial information, don't reply, and don't click on a link in the message. Legitimate companies don't ask for this information via e-mail.
• Area codes can be misleading. Some scam e-mail seems to be from a legitimate business and asks that you call a phone number to update your account. But if the scammers use Voice Over Internet Protocol technology, the area code you are calling may not reflect where the scammers are.
• Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software, as well as a firewall, and update them regularly. This takes a little time, but it's worth the effort.
• Never send an e-mail with personal or financial information. It's not a secure way to transmit such data.
• Review your credit-card and bank statements as soon as you receive them. Check for unauthorized charges.
• Be careful when opening attachments or downloading files from e-mails, as they may contain computer viruses.
• Forward any possible phishing e-mail to spam@uce.gov and to the bank, company or organization being impersonated in the e-mail.
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