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How To Avoid Rip-Offs

Email Fraud

If you receive an email from your bank, requesting sensitive personal information, for any reason whatsoever, do not respond to the email.  Reputable banks Never send out emails requesting account information. If you are worried your account may be terminated, then log off your email program, and log onto your bank's website using your username and password.

A particularly unpleasant type of spammer, more correctly email fraudster sends out fraudulent or ?spoof? emails that claim to come from your bank. They send these out indiscriminately however, so you are most likely to receive emails claiming to come from banks other than your own.

Sometimes these fraudulent emails claim they come from eBay, PayPal, or other popular web sites.

If you are a member of eBay or PayPal, then only access their sites directly from your browser.

According to US Postal Inspectors, identity theft (also called phishing) via email, is the fastest growing crime in America. With the recent spate of fraud (spoof) emails, the UK is not far behind! The spammers who send out these spoof emails hope that unsuspecting recipients will supply sensitive personal information, such as bank account and/or credit card details, PIN numbers, Social Security numbers etc. Always take great care when you receive an email asking for sensitive information. Just because it says it is from your bank or PayPal or eBay, does not mean it does.

What To Do If You Receive A Suspicious Email - How To Spot A Fake

If you do ever receive an unexpected email requesting sensitive personal information, then please contact your bank, or whoever claims to have sent you the email, direct. Do not click on any links in the email.

If you receive an email, you think is from your bank, you need to check the following:

• Is the email addressed to you personally e.g. ?Dear John Smith?? However, if it is NOT and is addressed to ?Dear MyBank customer?, then it is most probably a fake.
• If the blue link text in the email contains the prefix "https:" then the email is a fake - Delete it immediately!
• Similarly, if the blue link text in the email contains the word "scgi" then the email is a fake - Delete it immediately!
• Both "https:", and "scgi" can indicate that the link is to a secure site. Although this might seem like a good thing, genuine bank (or eBay and Paypal) emails never contain direct links to secure sites. If you do accidentally click on the link, then you need to check the following:
   

• Make sure the address displayed in your browser's address box displays the name of your bank.
   

• Make sure, the address is prefixed with "http:" and NOT "https:", if the address is prefixed by "https:" then it is almost certainly a fake website.
   

• If the address in the Address box is something like: http://256.256.256.256:256/cgi/index.htm - (this is called an IP Address) then it is definitely a fake website.

Notes:

• A genuine web site will always have the name of the company or bank in the Address.
  Remember - just because a web address starts with the prefix "http" and contains the name of your bank, does not mean it is either genuine, or that it is your bank's web site.
   
• Never enter personal information into ANY site that you link to directly from any email, no matter who the sender is. (It is most probably not who you think it is!)
   
• If you log on to your bank's website directly, that is NOT from an email link, then you will notice your bank site's address will be prefixed by "https:" (Fraudsters have started copying this format.)
   
• Also, never send sensitive information by email, hackers can intercept insecure emails and get hold of your personal details. Always log onto your bank's web site directly before entering any sensitive information.
   
• If you ever inadvertently reply to a fraudulent email or log on to a fake website, with sensitive information, then be sure to contact your bank and/or credit card company immediately, to prevent identity theft.