You know the importance of keeping your personal information personal.  Identity theft is a huge problem in our society; with victims suffering both personal and financial losses.  One of the fastest growing crimeson the internet in recent history is aimed at separating you from your information and potentially your money.  Phishing is the term used to describe a technique which involves sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft.  The following tips will help you identify fraudulent emails and protect yourself from becoming the next victim who takes the bait.

How to spot a phishing email.

While scammers have gotten quite sophisticated in their ability to mimic a legitimate company, the following signs should alert you to something….well fishy. 

• Any request asking for information such as user names, passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, date of birth, etc.  Any company that you deal with currently has this information and would NEVER contact you by email for it.
• Generally any contact made from your bank, credit card company, or other accounts such as PayPal or Ebay will be personalized.  If the email is addressed generically be suspicious.
• Any message that requires you to act immediately to prevent suspension or other changes to your current account.  Phishes try to use language to upset or excite you into reacting quickly.
• Be on the lookout for anything that just seems “off”.  Perhaps the logo is not quite right, or you may spot misspellings in the text of the email.  If you think it looks distrustful, it probably is.

What should you do (or not do) once you spot a phishing email.

• The golden rule-NEVER, EVER click on a link within an email you suspect is bogus.  If you are concerned over information in an email, close and delete the email and delete your trash to avoid accidental “clicks”.  You can then call or log on to the company’s website, from your browser to ensure you are actually going to the legitimate site, not one meant to steal your information.
• If you suspect you have received a phishing scam do your part to put these scammers out of business.  Check with the company the scam was trying to represent to see if they have a place to report fraudulent emails.  You can also send it to the US Federal Trade Commission at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

If you feel you may have already fallen for one of these scams report your suspicions to the original account holder such as your bank, credit card company, etc.  They will likely monitor your account more closely to be on the lookout for suspicious activity.  It is also recommended you contact one of the three major credit bureaus to have a fraud alert placed on your report since the goal of most of these scams is to glean from you personal information about your accounts that can be used to rip you off financially.  You work hard enough for your money; don’t become a victim of some unscrupulous scammer trying to make a quick buck.