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Do not ever reply to any e-mail that asks you for any personal or financial information no matter how official it looks. Banks, credit card companies, brokers, the government and any other legitimate entity will never ask you to click on a link and supply any kind of personal or financial information. If they include a telephone number for you to call, don’t! If you feel that the message is legitimate then look up the actual web site address, or telephone number, from a statement or invoice and use it. Even if the link in the email looks real, it isn’t. It’s easy to make a link look like it goes to one web site but really have it go to another.
Never give any sensitive personal information out to anyone who calls you and asks for it. Simply ask for their name, telephone number and extension and tell them you’ll call them back. Then, check that telephone number against a number that you find on a statement or receipt. If it doesn’t match, call the number that you found and tell someone what’s going on. If it’s a real message they’ll figure it all out for you. If it’s a fraud, they’ll tell you. If all of this advice comes too late for you because you already fell for the phishing trick hook, line and sinker, then you have to take immediate action for damage control. Immediately contact the actual company, bank or other agency, explain what happened and then let them close your account and issue you a new one. You should also contact the authorities and file a report. this will protect you later if creditors come after you for bills that the thieves ran up in your name. If you live in the U.S. you can learn more about phishing by visiting the Federal Trade Commission Web site at www.ftc.gov or calling toll-free 877-382-4357. Canadian residents should visit the RECOL (Reporting Economic Crime Online) web site at www.recol.ca. U.K. residents can go to www.met.police.uk/fraudalert/identity_theft.htm for more information. Computer security is a serious and ongoing issues which requires your constant vigilance. Don’t let your guard down or you could end up being a victim.
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government credit card said on Thursday, July 10, 2008, 21:00
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