Recently, a co-worker and I were joking about an e-mail he received stating that his PayPal account may have been compromised and he should click the link in the email to verify his account.
Since we are computer professionals we spot these bogus emails right away but not everyone knows how to determine if the emails are scams so here are a few methods help:
- Verify the link. First, most sites that handle your money do NOT notify you via email. If you’re unsure, look closely at the link in the email. Most likely, these links redirect you to a similar name but it’s not from your financial institution or bank. For example, if the address were www.verify-paypal.com or www.eonline-usbank.com, most likely it is a trick. The site is “verify-paypal.com” and “eonline-usbank.com” instead of “paypal.com” and “usbank.com” respectively.
- Login to your site. Another method to bypass scams is to login to the suspected site and verify your account. Using the example above, if something we wrong with your PayPal or USBank account then login to those accounts www.paypal.com or www.usbank.com and see if there are any messages for you.
- Call YOUR financial institution. Some of these emails try to gain access to your banking information by requesting you to call an included phone number. Do NOT use the phone number included, rather call the number that is listed in the telephone books or from a bank summary statement. This way you are confident that you are not calling someone pretending to be from your financial institution.
When handling emails pertaining to your money, especially confidential information relating to your accounts, extra caution should be taken. These emails are design to trick you and gather account and other personal information.
If your accounts were truly compromised, would a bank or other financial institution send an email or call you? Just something to think about.