Dwight Watt - Watt Thoughts #188 8/21/2009


#188 - e-mails warning of account problems (Watt Thoughts)

Just a reminder to everyone that your bank (or some bank you either don not deal with or never heard of) will not e-mail you telling you that your account has problems and to click on a link and fix your account. These are phishing e-mails and often look very real with logo and other information. First clue it is a phishing e-mail (an e-mail trying to get you to give bad people information about you including social security number, account numbers, etc) is spelling errors. Second is look at the actual link, not what is showing in e-mail but what you see either by holding mouse pointer over it and pops up or appears at bottom of screen when you ho;d pointer over the link. The first part of link will be to an address you never heard of and usually it is in a foreign county, although the end of it may look like it is to your bank. (the fact it is on end tells you it is not really the address). If any doubt, trash the e-mail.

DO NOT GO TO THE LINK IN THE E-MAIL. If you do immediately close the window and contact your bank by phone (using number in phone book) and alert them. Secondly notify other places you have accounts. Your bank may suggest you contact the police or other law enforcement also. Also contact the bank that the e--mail appeared to be from and notify them, usually they like you to forward the e-mail.

There are also people who will call asking the same info trying to get from you . It is called vishing. Don't give them any info either. Simply hang up the phone (or I guess today press END)

I just got one claiming to be from CitiBank that looked very real on the surface. It reminded me to remind all of you. I have gotten them over the years from lots of banks.

Let's be safe on the Internet and use it as a tool.

Dwight

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