Don’t Get Phished!!

Don’t get hooked by Internet “Phishing” Scams

Internet “phishing” scams are one of the fastest-growing frauds today. Phishing typically involves a bogus e-mail message that uses legitimate materials, such as a company’s Web site graphics and logos in an attempt to entice e-mail recipients to provide personal financial details such as credit card and Social Security numbers.

●  STOP.  Resist the urge to immediately respond to a suspicious e-mail and to provide the information requested despite urgent or exaggerated claims. Know whom you are dealing with.

● LOOK.  Read the text of the e-mail several times and ask yourself why the information requested would really be needed.

● CALL.  Report anything suspicious to the proper authorities. Telephone the organization identified, using a number that you know to be legitimate.  You can also contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ifccfbi.gov if you think you have received a phishing e-mail or have been directed to a “phishy-looking Web site.

If you’ve been “Phished”

If you believe that you have provided sensitive financial information about yourself through a phishing scam, you should take th8e following fraud alert measures.

●  CONTACT.   Immediately notify your financial institution with the details of the event.

●  CONTACT.  Notify the three major credit bureaus and request that a fraud alert be place on your credit report.

Equifax:        1-800-525-6285

P.O. Box 981222  El Paso Texas 79998

Experian:      1-888-397-3742

P.O. Box 9701 Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion:  1-800-680-7289

 P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19022

●  COMPLAIN.  File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov or 1-877-382-4357.