The most common types of e-mail fraud include e-mail messages sent to you for the purpose of stealing personal and financial information.
These e-mails claim to be from legitimate sources you use and trust, and try to entice you to provide different types of personal and confidential information including your online ID's, passwords, Social Security number and bank account numbers.
This practice is also known as "phishing" or "spoofing". Criminals commonly use this type of e-mail fraud to gain access to your existing accounts or to use your personal and financial information to open new accounts.
It is not easy to distinguish fraudulent e-mail messages.
Fraudulent e-mail messages try to obtain your personal information by asking you to reply directly to the e-mail or ask you to link to a phony Web site that appears legitimate. Regardless of the method used, you will be asked to provide personal, financial or account information.
You can identify bogus e-mails by looking for the following characteristics:
- Immediate Requests. These e-mails will often ask for an immediate response to the e-mail sent. For example, the message may tell you your account will be closed if you fail to confirm, verify or authenticate your personal information immediately.
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Typos and other errors. Fraudulent e-mails or Web sites may contain typographical or grammatical errors. The writing may also be awkward, stilted or inappropriate. The visual or design quality may be poor.
If you have received a fraudulent e-mail or are a victim of identity theft, please call toll-free 866-345-9270 or e-mail.
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