Identity theft is on the rise—don’t be a victim
By Terry Taylor, Sunset Credit Union
As technology advances, more and more people are becoming victims of identity theft. In fact, you or someone you know probably has had their identity stolen.
Sunset Credit Union believes that knowledge is power, so over the next few months you’ll learn about a variety of scams that thieves are using to steal your financial information, and how to protect yourself from them.
Phishing uses fraudulent emails, pop-ups and web sites to lure victims into divulging personal information such as passwords, financial data and other sensitive information, leading to financial crime and identity theft.
The term ‘phishing’ comes from the fact that Internet scammers are using increasingly sophisticated lures as they ‘fish’ for users’ private information.
The most common ploy is to copy the look and feel of a web page from a major site and use that design to set up a nearly identical fake page. Victims are asked to enter their personal information on this fake page.
Do not reply to or click on a link in an email which warns you that an account of yours will be shut down unless you confirm billing information. Instead, contact the company cited in the email using a reliable telephone number (not one in the email!) to get further information on their request.
Before submitting financial information through a website, look for the locked padlock on the browser’s status bar or look for https:// at the beginning of the web address. Although the presence of either of these is no guarantee the website is secure, the absence of either of these does indicate the site is not secure.
Identifying a phishing email may be easier than it appears. If an email is entirely a graphic, it may be a sign it is dangerous. Use anti-virus software and make sure you have a firewall in place. In addition, many email programs let you see where a link goes before you click on it—just place your cursor over the link and read the URL—it probably goes somewhere other than the purported site.
When in doubt, trust your instincts. Reputable companies and financial institutions will never ask for your personal or financial information via an email.
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