The most common types of e-mail fraud include e-mail messages sent to you for the
purpose of stealing personal and financial information.
Details
- 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 IDs, 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. If in doubt about a message
received, it is better to not open the message and simply delete it, or contact
the bank via telephone and verify the legitimacy of the e-mail.
- 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.
Identifying Bogus E-mail
- 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.
- 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.
Are you a victim?
If you have received a fraudulent e-mail or are a victim of identity theft, please
call toll-free 866.312.8327 or e-mail.