Fraudulent email
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Learn about fraudulent email |
Every Internet user should know about fraudulent (a.k.a. phishing, hoax or spoof) emails that appear to be from a well-known company but can put you at risk. Although they can be difficult to spot, they generally ask you to click a link back to a
spoof website (
Show definition below) and provide, update or confirm sensitive personal information. To bait you, they may allude to an urgent or threatening condition concerning your account.
Spoof website: A spoof website is one that mimics a popular company's website to lure you into disclosing confidential information. To make spoof sites seem legitimate, thieves use the names, logos, graphics and even code of the real company's site. They can even fake the URL that appears in the address field at the top of your browser window and the padlock that appears in the lower right corner. The links in the fraudulent emails almost always take you to a spoof or fraudulent web site.
What fraudulent emails are after |
- Password, PIN, e-PIN or T-PIN
- Card Verification Value (CVV2)
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- ATM/debit or credit card number
- Bank account number
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Even if you don't provide what they ask for, simply clicking the link could subject you to background installations of
key logging (
Show definition below) software or viruses.
Key logging: This is another method used to capture your personal information. Here's how it works. You click on a link to a website or open an attachment that secretly installs software on your computer.
Once installed, it records everything you type, including any User IDs, Passwords and account or personal information. Thieves know how to retrieve this information, or even set it up to automatically have it sent back to them! This is a very real risk when using public or shared computers such as those in Internet cafes.
Next: How to spot a fraudulent email
Security tip
Never click on a link contained in a suspicious email.
Fraudulent emails generally link to spoof or fraudulent websites.