“We suspect an unauthorized
transaction on your account.
To ensure that your account is not compromised,
please click the link below and confirm your identity.”
“During our regular
verification of accounts, we couldn’t verify your information.
Please click here to update and verify your information.”
Have you received email with a similar message?
It’s a scam called “phishing” — and it involves Internet
fraudsters who send spam or pop-up messages to lure personal information
(credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number,
passwords, or other sensitive information) from unsuspecting victims.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the
nation’s consumer protection agency, phishers send an email or pop-up
message that claims to be from a business or organization that you may
deal with — for example, an Internet service provider (ISP), bank,
online payment service, or even a government agency. The message may ask
you to “update,” “validate,” or “confirm” your account
information. Some phishing emails threaten a dire consequence if you
don’t respond. The messages direct you to a website that looks just
like a legitimate organization’s site. But it isn’t. It’s a bogus
site whose sole purpose is to trick you into divulging your personal
information so the operators can steal your identity and run up bills or
commit crimes in your name.
Information above is from the Federal Trade
Commission Web site.
