A phishing email is an email that has been made to look just like a letter or notification from your bank, government agency, or some other business. They are usually written in a way that alerts you to a possible problem with your account. The email says that they want you to click on a link where you’ll be asked to type in your account information. As soon as you hit “send” some criminal has instant access to your bank account. The next thing you know, you’ve become a victim of identity theft.
There are ways to protect yourself from this kind of email scam. It’s easy - if you receive an email from a bank you don’t even use, delete it. If you receive an email that seems to be from a company you’ve recently used or your bank, don’t respond to the email in any way. To protect yourself from identity theft, contact the company or your bank to find out if the email is real.
If it isn’t, banks usually provide a dedicated customer service phone number or email address where you can send fraudulent emails. If you suspect that you have a fraud email, cut and paste the email and send it to the bank. You can also report phishing emails at AntiPhishing.org.
Any legitimate bank or company won’t ask for you to send them personal information through email. If you think you or someone you know has fallen prey to a phishing scheme, you should always report identity theft to your local authorities.
