Article Contributed on: 10/30/2008 8:00:58 AM
I've blogged before about how crooks are taking advantage of the messed up economic situation in the country.
If you haven't already, look for official looking e-mails in your inbox. Some may claim to be the "new owners" of your current bank. Again, they'll look very realistic.
Don't open them, but if you do, don't click on any of the links provided. They ask for private information to "confirm" your account. All they are doing is trying to steal important financial information from you.
And some e-mails are just plain offensive, but can lure you into opening them and then your computer is at risk of a virus attack.
You can fight back. If one of these phone e-mails ends up in your in-box, forward them to a couple of e-mail addresses.
If you can an offensive e-mail, forward it to:
spam@uce.gov
If you get a phishing e-mail, forward it to:
reportphishing@antiphishing.org
These are addresses are a consortium of various Federal and local law enforcement agencies.
Never, ever, give our personal or private information via e-mail. Banks, your broker etc simply don't work that way. Just the crooks.
Stay safe.
John W. Scherer
Video Professor, Inc.
Assorted Wiki stuff here.