You can also identify phishing emails by the messages contained in the body of the email. They often claim that your account has been compromised and invite you to click on a link to confirm your identity. Or, they claim your account has been overcharged and that they need you to call them. [2] X Trustworthy Source Federal Trade Commission Website with up-to-date information for consumers from the Federal Trade Commisson Go to source If you do open an email, don’t download files, click on links, or respond. [3] X Research source
Don’t just call the phone number provided in the email. Look at prior correspondence, or do a web search, to check whether or not the phone number in the email is the one you should actually call. [5] X Research source Also don’t enter personal information into an embedded form. A reputable company would never ask you do to that. [6] X Research source
Services like Norton AntiVirus or McAfee cost between $30-100 a year. [8] X Research source Be sure to perform financial transactions only on an encrypted, secure web page. You can tell a page is secure by looking for a closed padlock on the status bar and checking for a URL that begins with “https” instead of “http. ”[9] X Trustworthy Source U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission Independent U. S. government agency responsible for regulating the securities industry, which includes stocks and options exchanges Go to source
You can visit their website here.
You can also take a screen shot of the email on your cell phone in case the email is subsequently deleted.
The company or individual may wish to pursue a lawsuit.
Your ISP is the company that provides you with internet access. [11] X Research source Check your bill. If you use free Wi-Fi provided by a business, university, or building management company, then alert someone who works with the organization.
You can contact the FBI’s Internet Fraud Complaint Center at www. ic3. gov. Your complaint will be processed and then forwarded to the appropriate authority. Notify the Federal Trade Commission. While they cannot help individual cases, their Consumer Sentinel complaint database provides information to law enforcement worldwide. Forward phishing emails to spam@uce. gov. File a complaint with the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team at their US-CERT site. Their function is to respond and defend against cyber-attacks of all kinds.
Ask to speak to the company’s Fraud Department and report the fraud. Ask the company to freeze your accounts. In this way, you will immediately halt any fraudulent transactions. Reset PINs, passwords, and logins.
A fraud alert is free. Also pull your credit report and go through it, looking for other fraudulent loans taken out under your name.
government-issued photo ID proof of address (such as a utility bill or rental agreement/mortgage statement) proof of the theft (bills, IRS statements, etc. ) a completed copy of the FTC Identity Theft Affidavit a downloaded copy of the FTC Memo to Law Enforcement.
