Protect Yourself from the Latest Fraudulent E-Mail Schemes.
On April 13, 2004, the Treasury Department issued a warning regarding fraudulent e-mail schemes. The warning details attempts to deceive credit union members into surrendering sensitive personal information, which could lead to identity theft. Fraudulent emails, which may appear to be from government agencies, direct recipients to web sites where they are asked to verify personal information.
The following tips, developed by the Federal Trade Commission, could help you protect yourself from becoming a victim of the latest scam:
1. If you receive an e-mail warning that one of your accounts will be shut down unless you reconfirm your billing information, DO NOT reply or click on the link in the e-mail. Instead, contact that company directly using a telephone number or website address that you know is real.
2. Avoid e-mailing personal and financial information. Before you submit financial information through a web site, look for "https" in the site's address. This is an indicator that the information will be secure during transmission.
3. Review your credit card and credit union account statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether there are any unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call the credit card company or your credit union immediately to confirm that they have the correct billing address and account balances.
4. Report any suspicious activity to the FTC by sending the actual spam to uce@ftc.gov.
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