| The first obvious answer is do not click the links or reply to the e-mail! We cannot emphasize this enough. There are basically a couple of things to do after that: Notify the actual institution referenced in the scam. Chances are they will already know about it, but you can at least feel like a good citizen for doing your part to help others. After you notify them, delete the e-mail. Just delete the e-mail. Chances are the authorities already know about it. Save yourself some hassle. If you have already responded to one of these e-mails, call the number on the back of all your credit cards and contact your financial institutions to alert them that you may have been the victim of a scam. You should also check your credit report once a year or so to monitor against suspicious behavior. Contact your state's attorney general to report the scam. Also, report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC has a website specifically regarding identity theft: www.consumer.gov/idtheft Or call 1-877-ID-THEFT.
If for whatever reason you do think you might have an issue with an online account, close the e-mail, enter the URL address you have for the business you deal with, and log in to your account. Better still, call the number on your billing statement and talk to a live person. Never use any of the information provided in the e-mail to contact the party in question. |