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How many of you have received emails from your supposed bank prompting you to give them personal information in order to restore access to one of your accounts? How about a message from Paypal letting you know that someone has accessed your account and that you need to reenter your password to authenticate? If you have, you are not alone. These are not legit emails and are instead phishing schemes designed to aid identity thieves in stealing your identity. While more and more people are becoming away of what phishing is and how to protect against phishing, identity thieves are finding new ways to trick you into handing over your personal information.

Phishing

One way that you can protect against phishing is to call the bank or institution that supposedly send you the email and verify that the claims is indeed correct. Banks tell you that they will never ask for personal information over email, so this quick call can protect your identity. If for some reason the bank did email you, then you should visit the local branch in person rather than disclosing your personal information over email correspondence.

But what if you receive an email from your bank asking you to call them back? You may think this is safe and actually call back the number provided in the email. However, this is another phishing scam that identity thieves use to trick consumers. Phishers know that more and more people are becoming aware of phishing schemes and therefore attempt to trick them by making them think its safe to call a phone number. However, the phone number provided in the email is actually the number that the phisher controls and not the number to your bank. They will most likely answer the phone with ‘Thank you for calling [insert bank name here]. How may I help you?’ and then proceed to swindle you out of your personal and banking information.

So what can you do to protect yourself from phishing attacks? We advise you to never call numbers sent in an email especially if its an email that relates to your personal or financial history. If you do receive an email from a bank or credit card company asking for a call, call the number in the phone book or the one listed on the back of your credit card. This will ensure that you are actually talking to the bank and not a phishing identity thief looking to rob you of your identity!

If you do ever fall victim of phishing or identity theft, we recommend that you purchase an identity theft protection package and take the steps necessary to rebuild your financial life. Identity theft and phishing are both serious crimes and the best way to protect yourself is by being informed!