Don’t fall for fake check scams – National Consumers League

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If someone you don’t know wants to pay you by check but wants you to wire some of the money back, beware! It’s a scam that could cost you thousands of dollars.

  • There are many variations of the fake check scam. It could start with someone offering to buy something you advertised, pay you to do work at home, give you an “advance” on a sweepstakes you’ve supposedly won, or pay the first installment on the millions that you’ll receive for agreeing to have money in a foreign country transferred to your bank account for safekeeping. Whatever the pitch, the person may sound quite believable.
  • Fake check scammers hunt for victims. They scan newspaper and online advertisements for people listing items for sale, and check postings on online job sites from people seeking employment. They place their own ads with phone numbers or email addresses for people to contact them. And they call or send emails or faxes to people randomly, knowing that some will take the bait.
  • They often claim to be in another country. The scammers say it’s too difficult and complicated to send you the money directly from their country, so they’ll arrange for someone in the U.S. to send you a check.
  • They tell you to wire money to them after you’ve deposited the check. If you’re selling something, they say they’ll pay you by having someone in the U.S. who owes them money send you a check. It will be for more than the sale price; you deposit the check, keep what you’re owed, and wire the rest to them. If it’s part of a work-at-home scheme, they may claim that you’ll be processing checks from their “clients.” You deposit the checks and then wire them the money minus your “pay.” Or they may send you a check for more than your pay “by mistake” and ask you to wire them the excess. In the sweepstakes and foreign money offer variations of the scam, they tell you to wire them money for taxes, customs, bonding, processing, legal fees, or other expenses that must be paid before you can get the rest of the money.
  • The checks are fake but they look real. In fact, they look so real that even bank tellers may be fooled. Some are phony cashiers checks, others look like they’re from legitimate business accounts. The companies whose names appear may be real, but someone has dummied up the checks without their knowledge.
  • You don’t have to wait long to use the money, but that doesn’t mean the check is good. Under federal law, banks have to make the funds you deposit available quickly – usually within one to five days, depending on the type of check. But just because you can withdraw the money doesn’t mean the check is good, even if it’s a cashier’s check. It can take weeks for the forgery to be discovered and the check to bounce.
  • You are responsible for the checks you deposit. That’s because you’re in the best position to determine the risk – you’re the one dealing directly with the person who is arranging for the check to be sent to you. When a check bounces, the bank deducts the amount that was originally credited to your account. If there isn’t enough to cover it, the bank may be able to take money from other accounts you have at that institution, or sue you to recover the funds. In some cases, law enforcement authorities could bring charges against the victims because it may look like they were involved in the scam and knew the check was counterfeit.
  • There is no legitimate reason for someone who is giving you money to ask you to wire money back. If a stranger wants to pay you for something, insist on a cashiers check for the exact amount, preferably from a local bank or a bank that has a branch in your area.
  • Don’t deposit it – report it! Report fake check scams to NCL’s Fraud Center, at www.fraud.org. That information will be transmitted to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

Check out NCL’s new brochure.

Copyright laws and Digital Rights Management – National Consumers League

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The National Consumers League recently commissioned a survey to explore consumers’ attitudes and expectations regarding their DVD collections of backed-up or copied movies and music. Amidst the backdrop of a troubled economy, Americans believe it should be their right to copy their collections. But what about copyright laws and artists protecting their content?

Consumers’ ability to copy or save content from their movie or music collections involve issues surrounding something called “Digital Rights Management.”

What is DRM?

Digital Rights Management, or DRM for short, refers to a r ange of technologies used to control access to digital media. As entertainment content has shifted to digital media, content producers, copyright holders, and hardware makers have increasingly turned to DRM as a way to protect their content from unauthorized use, such as piracy, and to preserve traditional revenue streams.

DRM is used by many major content producers, software and hardware vendors. Some examples include:

  • Apple – until recently, iTunes’s FairPlay DRM software prevented iTunes customers from using music purchased directly from iTunes on any portable music player beside iPod, the iPhone, and a few authorized cell phone models.
  • Microsoft – Microsoft’s 3-play technology, which is integrated into its Zune portable music players, restricts music files received from other Zunes to a maximum of three plays. Song recipients also cannot re-send received music files to other users.
  • Sony – MiniDisc player usage is restricted by the company’s proprietary MagicGate DRM software.

Under international and federal law, most software that circumvents DRM restriction is illegal. In the United States, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, passed in 1998, makes it a crime to disseminate technology allowing users to circumvent DRM. However, these restrictions have not stopped a thriving trade in software that can crack most DRM restrictions.

How does DRM affect DVDs?

DRM affects consumers most often through their inability to transfer content from one medium (a DVD, for example) to another (a computer hard drive). In a recent survey commissioned by NCL, 4% of consumers reported that they had tried to save the content of a DVD to their hard drives, but failed due to DRM restrictions.

Since 1996, DVDs have generally come encoded with DRM technology called Content Scrambling System (CSS). HD-DVDs and Blu-ray discs are controlled by DRM software called Advanced Access Content System (AACS)

To legally copy a DVD to their hard drives, consumers must currently purchase an “expanded pack” edition of a DVD at an additional fee. These “expanded packs” generally contain a separate “DRM-free” disc that allows the copying of the disc’s contents. NCL’s survey found that consumers overwhelmingly desire the ability to copy DVDs to their hard drives for back up purposes or simply so that they do not have to carry around bulky DVD discs in order to watch movies while on the go. In addition, more than half of those surveyed were bothered that they can’t save most DVDs to their hard drives without cracking the encryption or having to purchase an expanded version of the DVD.

Additional Resources

HowStuffWorks: How Digital Rights Management Works

Electronic Frontier Foundation Primer on DRM

Electronic Privacy Information Center backgrounder on Digital Rights Management and Privacy

DefectiveByDesign.org, a project of the Free Software Foundation

www.esecurityplanet.com

Gift Card Holder’s Bill of Rights – National Consumers League

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The National Consumers League has been joined by Consumer Action and the Montgomery County, Md, Office of Consumer Protection to call on the gift card industry to ease the burden on consumers by lifting expiration dates, lowering fees, and more.

1. Gift cards should have no expiration dates.
Gift card holders have the expectation that their cards are as good as cash at a retailer. They should be able to use their cards regardless of when they received the card

2. The value of a gift cards should not be reduced by arbitrary fees that diminish a card’s value.
The funds available on gift cards are often reduced significantly by a variety of postsale fees (called “dormancy,” “inactivity,” or “maintenance” fees, depending on the card) if the value of the card has not been exhausted within six to 12 months of purchase. We believe the funds stored in these cards should be available to consumers to pay for goods and services, not the card issuer’s administrative costs.

3. Fees assessed on a card purchase should not exceed five dollars or ten percent of the value of the card.
The processing charges or sales fee charged at the point of sale for gift cards should be reasonable and consistent with the expected costs incurred by the card issuer to market the card and service the card post-sale.

4. Card replacement fees should not exceed two dollars or ten percent of the purchase price of the card, whichever is less.
Card holders lose cards for a variety of reasons, including theft. Fees associated with replacing the card should be reasonable.

5. Cards with a balance of five dollars or less should be redeemable for cash with no fee.
Many cards are unusable when consumers attempt to use them to make purchases greater than the value of a card. Many retailers are unable or unwilling to attempt a “split tender” transaction to address this issue. As such, we believe that consumers should be able to redeem gift cards with a remaining value of $5 or less for cash, without a fee.

6. Balance inquiries should not deduct from the value of the card.
Consumers may need to check the remaining balance on their cards from time to time. Doing so should not reduce the value of the card itself.

7. Terms and conditions should be clearly disclosed.
Consumers should be made aware of any fees associated with a card before purchasing it. Such terms and conditions should be viewable on the card itself, the card’s packaging, in-store display, and on an easily accessible Web site.

8. Unused funds should not go into the card issuers’ pockets, but should accrue to a state fund to be used for the specific benefit of consumers.
The residual value of lost or unused cards falling under states’ unclaimed property laws should be used to benefit consumers, not to the bottom lines of big banks and retailers. Appropriate uses of such monies would be a fund to compensate victims of consumer fraud, grants to non-profit organizations fighting fraud, and support for state programs to educate the public about consumer fraud.

9. Funds from the sale of gift cards should be segregated and held in trust accounts so as to be automatically honored in the event of the cards issuer’s bankruptcy.
Recent retailer bankruptcies have resulted in consumers being unable to use their gift cards or only being able to redeem t heir cards for pennies on the dollar. Consumers who purchase gift cards have, in effect, prepaid for goods and services and their purchases should be honored, regardless of the bankruptcy status of the card issuer.

10. These rights should cover any electronic gift card with a banked dollar value.
Consumers generally do not differentiate between gifts cards usable at a single retailer or multiple retailers. The rights afforded them should be consistent regardless of the issuer of the card.

NCL’s tips for staying on top of trial offers – National Consumers League

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Have you ever wanted to try a service or a product on a trial basis? Some companies allow interested customers the chance to try it out before they join or purchase. This is called a trial offer.

How does a trial offer work?

Over a specified period of time, for no charge or a minimal charge, you can see for yourself how the service or product works and whether it is useful to you. It is important to determine whether the product or service fits your lifestyle.Perhaps you have seen trial offers advertised on television or in an Internet advertisement. Or, maybe you have been contacted by telephone or received mail or email at your home. The service or product may sound good, but before you sign up for a trial offer, consider the following questions — your answers will help you make the decision that is right for you.

Weighing a trial offer: Is this the deal for me?

To help you decide whether to sign up with the product or service, make sure you review and understand the rules before you join.

  • Does the cost of the product or service fit your budget? Even though a trial offer allows you the opportunity to try it out, is the product or service something that you really need or want?
  • How likely it is that you will use the product or service? For example, you may be interested in trying a trial membership at a gym. In order to get regular use of the facility, before you join, make sure that the gym is open and available for you to use at the times you plan to use it.
  • Do any limitations or restrictions on the membership make it less useful or attractive? For example, membership in a travel service that has blackout periods during school holidays may not be good for a teacher who would normally travel during school vacations.
  • How do you obtain the benefits? Check to see if you need to present a coupon or enter a special code to make purchases.
  • If you will receive products or services automatically, how frequently they will be provided, and what you have to do if you do not want them and by when?
  • Is there is a minimum purchase requirement? Are you interested in receiving the service or products as often as stated? Are there any other requirements or obligations you must meet that creates a hardship or hassle? What happens if you do not meet those obligations?
  • When, how often, and how much you will be charged? You also need to know whether the charge will be placed on your credit or debit card or deducted from your checking or other account.
  • What is the cancellation policy? How long is the membership? If you do not want to continue, is there an early cancellation penalty for ending your membership? How must you go about canceling your membership?
  • What are the refund and return policies? Know how you can receive a refund if you are not satisfied with the service or product, how you would make that request, whether there is any time limit for doing so, and who is responsible for shipping costs.

Important! Save information about the terms and conditions of your membership someplace where you can easily find it if you need it.

The three “DOs” of trial offers

1. DO Look for Details.
Get all the facts before you agree to a trial offer. Know what will happen when the trial period ends.

2. DO Keep Track.
Note on your calendar the date the trial period ends and decide whether you want to continue before that date. If you cancel, keep a note with the date and the name of the representative you dealt with.

3. DO Check for Charges.
Review your credit card or bank statements as soon as you receive them or check your accounts online. If you are charged or debited when you should not have been, or for the wrong amount, contact your bank immediately. More tips about free trial offers are on the Federal Trade Commission’s Web site at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0101-free-trial-offers .

The devil is in the details!

Carefully read any information sent to you by the company making the offer. Pay attention to details, such as:
• The date the trial offer begins and ends.
• Limitations on your use of the service or product during the trial period.
• How to obtain the benefits of the trial offer. For example: Do you need to present a coupon or enter a special code for online purchases?
• How frequently you will receive the service or product.
• If you are trying out a product, what the return policy is and who pays for the shipping on returned items.

Consumer tip: Beware of the “negative option”

In some cases you will be charged at the end of the trial period unless you take the necessary steps to cancel the product or service before the end of the trial. In other words, your failure to take action to cancel is interpreted as your acceptance, and you will continue to receive and be periodically charged for the product or service until you take the necessary steps to cancel. This is sometimes referred to as a “negative option.”

A type of negative option plan is a “continuity plan” in which you receive goods and services automatically on a regular schedule. For example, a music club may send you several CDs every month. You do not have to order the product or service each time — it is provided unless you notify the company before the next shipment or service date that you do not want it. You may be able to keep the products or services you received during the trial offer for free, but if you continue with the plan after the trial period ends, you may be obliged to accept and pay for a minimum number of products or services. More information about your rights concerning negative option plans is available on the Federal Trade Commission’s Web site .

NCL’s advice for assessing a company’s reputation and trustworthiness

A reputable company should:
• Make it easy to contact the company by giving you its name, address, and telephone number.
• Tell you all about its product or service, including a description of exactly what is being offered, how much it costs, the membership benefits and restrictions, the payment options, and the cancellation policy.
• Provide complete information on the terms and limitations of the trial offer, including the length of the trial offer, what happens when it ends, and what action you need to take if you do not want to continue after the trial period is over. For example: You could be billed for the product or service unless you notify the company that you want to cancel before the trial period ends.
• Disclose its privacy policy that explains what personal and financial information is collected about you, how the information may be used, and with whom it may be shared.

Consumer Tip: Contact your local consumer protection agency or better business bureau
If you want to check out a company before you agree to a free trial offer, or if you have a complaint about an offer, contact your local Better Business Bureau or state/local consumer protection agency. You will find them in your telephone book or search for them online.

Attention shoppers! What happens when the trial offer ends?

It is up to you to read the trial offer very carefully. Make sure you understand:

  • The date the trial offer ends. Mark your calendar and decide before that date whether you wish to continue receiving the service or product.
  • Your responsibilities under the free trial agreement. Typically, if you do not want to continue, you must contact the company and cancel the product or service before the trial period ends or else you will be automatically billed for future use or membership. In some cases, you may be billed retroactively for products or services you used, so make sure you understand the terms of the offer before you agree to the trial.

It is a good rule of thumb that if you are not interested in continuing with the service or product, contact the company before the end of the trial period, and tell them that you wish to cancel immediately to avoid the possibility of being charged for something you do not want.

Consumer Tip: Watch out for suprise charges when trial offer ends
Sometimes people let a trial offer lapse without canceling the product or service because they did not provide their billing information to the seller. However, if the consumer bought other goods or services from the company in the past, the company may already have their account information at the time the free trial is offered. Consumers may be surprised with a charge once the trial offer ends and then have to take extra steps to resolve the problem.

Beware fraudulent work-at-home offers – National Consumers League

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The advertisement says you can make lots of money working from the comfort of your home. But if this were true, wouldn’t we all be doing it? There are legitimate home-based businesses out there, but also numerous scams – enough to make you think twice about “working from home” offers.Know who you’re dealing with. The company may not be offering to employ you directly, only to sell you training and materials and to find customers for your work.

  • Don’t believe that you can make big profits easily. Operating a home-based business is just like any other business – it requires hard work, skill, good products or services, and time to make a profit.
  • Get all the details before you pay. A legitimate company will be happy to give you information about exactly what you will be doing and for whom.
  • Find out if there is really a market for your work. Claims that there are customers for work such as medical billing and craft making may not be true. If the company says it has customers waiting, ask who they are and contact them to confirm. You can also ask likely customers in your area (such as doctors for medical billing services) if they actually employ people to do that work from home.
  • Get references for other people who are doing the work. Ask them if the company kept its promises.
  • Be aware of legal requirements. To do some types of work, such as medical billing, you may need a license or certificate. Check with your state attorney general’s office. Ask your local zoning board if there are any restrictions on operating a business from your home. Some types of work cannot be done at home under federal law. Look for the nearest U.S. Department of Labor in the government listings of your phone book.
  • Know the refund policy. If you have to buy equipment or supplies, ask whether and under what circumstances you can return them for a refund.
  • Beware of the old “envelope stuffing” scheme. In this classic scam, instead of getting materials to send out on behalf of a company, you get instructions to place an ad like the one you saw, asking people to send you money for information about working at home. This is an illegal pyramid scheme because there is no real product or service being offered. You won’t get rich, and you could be prosecuted for fraud.
  • Be wary of offers to send you an “advance” on your “pay.” Some con artists use this ploy to build trust and get money from your bank. They send you a check for part of your first month’s “pay.” You deposit it, and the bank tells you the check has cleared because the normal time has passed to be notified that checks have bounced. Then the crook contacts you to say that you were mistakenly paid the wrong amount or that you need to return a portion of the payment for some other reason. After you send the money back, the check that you deposited finally bounces because it turned out to be an elaborate fake. Now the crooks have your payment, and you’re left owing your bank the amount that you withdrew.
  • Do your own research about work-at-home opportunities. The “Work-At-Home Sourcebook” and other resources that may be available in your local library provide good advice and lists of legitimate companies that hire people to work for them at home. You may discover that these companies hire only local people and that there is nothing available in your area.

Spot foreclosure rescue scams – National Consumers League

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If you’re at risk of losing your home, check out anyone offering to help because they might really be offering new problems.Lease-Back or Repurchase Scams begin with a con artist’s promise to pay your mortgage and lease it back to you, if you sign over the deed – and all of your rights. This gives them the power to evict you, raise your rent, sell the house, or steal the equity you have in your home.

Refinance Fraud may happen if a con artist tricks you into signing over the ownership of your home by saying that you are signing documents for a new loan to lower your payments.

Bankruptcy Schemes abuse the laws meant to protect you and can actually prevent you from getting help with your problems. A con artist claiming to stop foreclosure and file bankruptcy for you may be getting you into deeper trouble.

Protect yourself:

  • Check credentials, reputation and experience of people or businesses offering foreclosure rescue services, such as the ones above.
  • Know what you’re signing, get promises in writing, and don’t accidentally sign over the deed to your home!
  • Make payments directly to your lender or mortgage servicer.
  • Report suspicious activity to the Federal Trade Commission and to your state and local consumer protection agencies.
  • If you fall behind on your mortgage payments, contact your lender – or a legitimate financial counselor – as soon as possible to help you find options for avoiding foreclosure.
  • Learn more about foreclosure scams, at www.occ.gov

Protect your privacy, safety, and security online – National Consumers League

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Computers and the Internet have changed our lives in many ways: how we keep in touch, learn, work, shop, pay bills, and even keep track of our accounts. But with the advantages come risks; your computer contains sensitive information, and it’s up to you to protect it!

  • Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software to protect against malicious programs that may be planted in emails, documents, or Web sites – programs that can damage your computer, capture information such as your passwords, or cause other harm. Set them to run automatically and update them regularly.
  • Use a strong firewall to keep intruders out of your computer.
  • Patch it up! Keep your software current with the free patches offered by manufacturers to fix flaws. If your system automatically notifies you about new patches or security upgrades, don’t delay — download them immediately.
  • Keep a lid on your personal information. Only provide your passwords, account numbers, or answers to security questions when you are sure who you’re dealing with and why they need the info. Talk to your kids about privacy and monitor their online activities. Take advantage of parental controls that software manufacturers and Internet service providers may offer.
  • Don’t click on links in emails asking for your personal information. They may lead you to fake versions of legitimate Web sites, where criminals hope you’ll hand over your personal information.
  • Never enter your information in a pop-up screen. They may be planted on legitimate Web sites by identity thieves.

Debit cards: Know how to use them – National Consumers League

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Debit cards are convenient and safer to carry than cash, and they’re more widely accepted by merchants these days than personal checks. But just because they look and feel like a credit card doesn’t mean they work exactly like one, and not understanding the differences could cost you.

Follow this advice, and read NCL’s brochure, Debit cards: Beyond cash and checks

  • Know your balance, and know what overdraft fees you’ll face if your bank lets you withdraw more than you have. When making a purchase with a debit card, make sure there’s enough money in your account to cover it. Deduct debits from the balance in your check register promptly.
  • Don’t forget about checks you’ve already written. Even if they haven’t cleared yet, consider that money gone.
  • Know if there’s a cost for using the card. Some card issuers charge monthly or even per-transaction fees that are automatically deducted from your account.
  • Notify the issuer immediately if the cost is lost or stolen. Under federal law, the amount you could lose if someone uses your debit card depends on how quickly you report the loss once you discover it. Your card issuer may have “zero” liability policies that give you extra protections.

Going once, going twice … scammed! – National Consumers League

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For more than a decade, online auctions have been one of the top-reported frauds to NCL’s Fraud Center. Both buyers and sellers can benefit from online auctions; many people make their living selling items online, and millions of consumers have had positive experiences making purchases. But there are many risks as well, and both buyers and sellers can take steps to avoid becoming a Fraud Center statistic.

  • Understand how the auction works. Many online auctions simply list items that people want to sell. They don’t verify that the merchandise actually exists or that it is described accurately, and they can’t guaranty that the sellers will keep their promises.
  • Check out the seller before you bid. Some auction sites have feedback forums with comments about the sellers based on other people’s experiences. Be aware that positive reports may have been “planted” by the seller and negative comments could be from a competitor. Other sources of information are state or local consumer protection agencies and the Better Business Bureau. Negative information is a good warning sign, but a clean complaint record doesn’t guarantee that your transaction will go smoothly.
  • Be careful if the seller is a private individual. Many consumer protection laws don’t apply to private sales, though government agencies may take action if there are many complaints the same individual or criminal fraud is involved.
  • Be especially cautious when dealing with sellers in other countries. If you have a problem, the physical distance, difference in legal systems, and other factors could make resolving it very difficult.
  • Beware of “shills.” The seller may try to raise the price artificially by making bids under fictitious names or recruiting other people to make bids. Using bogus bidders is illegal and a violation of online auction policies.
  • Get the name and contact information of the seller. The name, physical street address, email address, and phone number are helpful to have for checking the seller out and following up later if there is a problem. Don’t do business with anyone who refuses to provide that information.
  • Be wary of claims about collectibles and other expensive items. Since you can’t examine the merchandise or have it appraised until after the sale, don’t assume that claims about its condition or value are true, or that photographs are accurate. Print out and save the description and any photos to document the claims that were made.
  • Ask about delivery, returns, warranties and service before you pay. Get a definite delivery time and insist that the shipment is insured. Ask about the return policy. If you’re buying electronic goods or appliances, find out if there is a warranty and how to get service.
  • Look for information on the auction site about insurance. Some auction sites provide insurance that covers buyers up to a certain amount if something goes wrong. Others may have links to third-party programs that offer insurance for a fee. Read the terms of the insurance carefully. There is often a deductible, and there be other limitations or requirements that apply. For example, you may not be covered if the seller had a negative feedback rating on the auction site at the time of the transaction.
  • Pay by credit card. Under federal law, you can dispute the charges if you paid the seller with a credit card and the goods were never delivered or if they were misrepresented. If you are paying through an intermediary service, ask what happens in the case of disputes.
  • Look for bonded sellers. Some sellers are bonded through programs that have investigated their business backgrounds and credit histories and guaranty your money back if they don’t fulfill their promises. Click on the program symbol to learn how the bonding program works and verify that the seller is a member in good standing.
  • Consider using an escrow service for expensive purchases that aren’t covered by insurance or bonding. For a small fee, an escrow service takes your payment and forwards it to the seller once you confirm satisfactory delivery.  If there is a dispute, the escrow service may act as a referee.  Ask if the service is licensed and bonded, and how you can confirm that with the appropriate agency.
  • Try mediation to resolve disputes. Not all problems are due to fraud. Sometimes people simply fail to hold up their side of the bargain in a timely manner or there may be a misunderstanding about something. Some auction sites provide links to third-party mediation services that help people resolve disputes. There may be a small fee that is usually paid by the party who requests the mediation.
  • Inform auction sites about suspected fraud. They may have policies to remove sellers from their sites if they use “shills” or don’t live up to their obligations.

Phishing scams: Don’t take the bait! – National Consumers League

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“Phishing” is when identity thieves try to trick you into providing your personal information by pretending to be someone they’re not. A phishing scam involves sending spam or pop-up messages to lure credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords, or other sensitive information from Internet users.In phishing scams, ID thieves trick people into providing their Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, PINs, mothers’ maiden names, and other personal information by pretending to be someone they’re not. Follow this advice from NCL, and read our brochure about phishing, to avoid falling victim.

  • 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. Another tactic phishers use is to say they’re from the fraud departments of well-known companies and ask to verify your information because they suspect you may be a victim of identity theft! In one case, a phisher claimed to be from a state lottery commission and requested people’s banking information to deposit their “winnings” in their accounts.
  • Don’t click on links in emails asking for your personal information. They may lead you to fake versions of legitimate Web sites, where criminals hope you’ll hand over your personal information.
  • Never enter your information in pop-up screens. They may be planted on legitimate Web sites by identity thieves.
  • Beware of “pharming,” con artists secretly planting programs in your computer to hijack your browser and take you to phishing sites, even when you type in the Web address yourself!
  • Keep malicious messages and programs that could be used by phishers out of your computer with a spam filter, up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a strong firewall.

For more tips about phishing, go to www.phishinginfo.org.