What to Do If You Suspect You Are the Target of a Phishing Scam


The first obvious answer is do not click the links or reply to the e-mail! We cannot emphasize this enough. There are basically a couple of things to do after that:

  • Notify the actual institution referenced in the scam. Chances are they will already know about it, but you can at least feel like a good citizen for doing your part to help others. After you notify them, delete the e-mail.

  • Just delete the e-mail. Chances are the authorities already know about it. Save yourself some hassle.

  • If you have already responded to one of these e-mails, call the number on the back of all your credit cards and contact your financial institutions to alert them that you may have been the victim of a scam. You should also check your credit report once a year or so to monitor against suspicious behavior.

  • Contact your state's attorney general to report the scam. Also, report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC has a website specifically regarding identity theft:

    www.consumer.gov/idtheft

    Or call 1-877-ID-THEFT.

If for whatever reason you do think you might have an issue with an online account, close the e-mail, enter the URL address you have for the business you deal with, and log in to your account. Better still, call the number on your billing statement and talk to a live person. Never use any of the information provided in the e-mail to contact the party in question.



Home Network Security Simplified
Home Network Security Simplified
ISBN: 1587201631
EAN: 2147483647
Year: N/A
Pages: 130

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