This morning I was on the Tom Joyner Morning show trying to help out Sybil and the team. Co-host Sybil recently found herself almost biting the bait on an internet scam via email called “phishing” these scams try to obtain your private information by posing as legitimate services. Roland as brought up the recent news about the Apple virus, if you need info on that look here.
Below are some ID theft tips! I WANT to make sure ALL the listeners are protected so here are the tips I shared on air:
- Watch out for “phishy” emails. The most common form of phishing is emails pretending to be from a legitimate retailer, bank, organization, or government agency. The sender asks to “confirm” your personal information for some made-up reason: your account is about to be closed, an order for something has been placed in your name, or your information has been lost because of a computer problem. because they suspect you may be a victim of identity theft!
- Don’t click on links within emails that ask for your personal information. Fraudsters use these links to lure people to phony Web sites that looks just like the real sites of the company, organization, or agency they’re impersonating. If you follow the instructions and enter your personal information on the Web site, you’ll deliver it directly into the hands of identity thieves. To check whether the message is really from the company or agency, call it directly or go to its Web site (use a search engine to find it).
- Never enter your personal information in a pop-up screen.Sometimes a phisher will direct you to a real site, but then an unauthorized pop-up screen will appear, with blanks in which to provide your personal information. If you fill it in, your information will go to the phisher. Legitimate companies, agencies and organizations don’t ask for personal information via pop-up screens.
- Protect your computer with spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a firewall, and keep them up to date. A spam filter can help reduce the number of phishing emails you get. Anti-virus software, which scans incoming messages for troublesome files, and anti-spyware software, which looks for programs that have been installed on your computer and track your online activities without your knowledge
Microsoft Internet Essentials is Free at: http://www.microsoft.com/security/pc-security/mse.aspx
- Only open email attachments if you’re expecting them and know what they contain.
- Job seekers should also be careful. Some phishers target people who list themselves on job search sites. Pretending to be potential employers, they ask for your social security number and other personal information.on the phone. But if you’re contacted out of the blue and asked for your personal information, it’s a warning sign that something is “phishy.” Legitimate companies and agencies don’t operate that way.
- Act immediately if you’ve been hooked by a phisher. If you provided account numbers, PINS, or passwords to a phisher, notify the companies with whom you have the accounts right away. For information about how to put a “fraud alert” on your files at the credit reporting bureaus and other advice for ID theft victims, contact the Federal Trade Commission’s ID Theft Clearinghouse,www.consumer.gov/idtheft or 877-438-4338, TDD 202-326-2502.
- Report phishing, whether you’re a victim or not. Tell the company or agency that the phisher was impersonating. You can also report the problem to law enforcement agencies through NCL’s Fraud Center,www.fraud.org. The information you provide helps to stop identity theft.