How to Avoid Phishing Scams
When you receive an email from your bank, eBay, PayPal, or a similar website announcing a problem with your account. Invariably, the email offers a handy link to click, saying that you must enter your username and password to set things in order.
Don’t click the url link, no matter how realistic the email and website may appear. You’re seeing an ugly industry called phishing: Fraudsters send millions of these messages worldwide, hoping to convince a few frightened souls into typing their precious account name and password.
Finance-related sites may send you legitimate history statements, receipts, or confirmation notices, but they will never, ever email you a link for you to click and enter your password.
If you’re suspicious, visit the company’s real website by typing the real web address by hand into your web browser’s Address bar. Chances are good that the real site won’t list anything as being wrong with your account.
Both Internet Explorer and the new Microsoft Edge browser use Microsoft’s SmartScreen Filter technology that compares a website’s address with a list of known phishing sites. If it finds a match, the SmartScreen filter keeps you from entering the website. Should you ever spot below screen, close the web page.
If you’ve already entered your name and password into a phishing site, take action immediately: Visit the real website and change your password. Then contact the company involved and ask it for help. It may be able to stop the thieves before they wrap their electronic fingers around your account.
If you’ve entered credit card information, call the card’s issuer immediately. You can almost always find a toll-free, 24-hour phone number on the back of your credit card.
Don’t click the url link, no matter how realistic the email and website may appear. You’re seeing an ugly industry called phishing: Fraudsters send millions of these messages worldwide, hoping to convince a few frightened souls into typing their precious account name and password.
Finance-related sites may send you legitimate history statements, receipts, or confirmation notices, but they will never, ever email you a link for you to click and enter your password.
If you’re suspicious, visit the company’s real website by typing the real web address by hand into your web browser’s Address bar. Chances are good that the real site won’t list anything as being wrong with your account.
Both Internet Explorer and the new Microsoft Edge browser use Microsoft’s SmartScreen Filter technology that compares a website’s address with a list of known phishing sites. If it finds a match, the SmartScreen filter keeps you from entering the website. Should you ever spot below screen, close the web page.
If you’ve already entered your name and password into a phishing site, take action immediately: Visit the real website and change your password. Then contact the company involved and ask it for help. It may be able to stop the thieves before they wrap their electronic fingers around your account.
If you’ve entered credit card information, call the card’s issuer immediately. You can almost always find a toll-free, 24-hour phone number on the back of your credit card.