![\"\"](\"http:\/\/investspectrum.com\/uma\/wp-content\/uploads\/phishing.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBE WARY OF E-MAILS WITH LINKS YOU DID NOT REQUEST<\/strong><\/p>\n Very simply–if you see an official looking communication from your bank, credit card, Amazon or any entity, directing you to take action by clicking a\u00a0link–don\u2019t!\u00a0 Click it, and the bad guys verify your existence.<\/p>\n COMPANIES DON’T ASK FOR PASSWORDS IN E-MAILS<\/strong><\/p>\n Hackers are really good at creating phony e-mails that look like the real thing.\u00a0\u00a0The company \u201cwill never ask you for your password in an e-mail or send you a password as an attachment.\u201d\u00a0 The same goes for the IRS, banks and other officials–if you\u2019re under an audit, you\u2019ll be notified by the US mail. You don\u2019t need to sign into an account that\u2019s probably bogus.<\/p>\n HOW TO SPOT A FAKE E-MAIL<\/strong><\/p>\n Fake e-mails usually look spot on, but there\u2019s often a typo, a mis-spelled word, a contact address that isn\u2019t a google.com or amazon.com , but instead a webmail address. Perhaps you have a Wells Fargo account and get an email from: Wells Fargo Support. Looks legit, but would they use WellsFargoSupport@gmail.com<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Not likely!\u00a0 I have even seen domains registered close to the legitimate such as info@amazzon.com<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Just a small misspelling could get your information compromised.<\/p>\n Many times the pages served by these links are not secure. They will show up as http:\/\/ instead of secure https:\/\/ The S stands for secure, by the way.<\/p>\n WHAT IF A FRIEND SENDS YOU AN E-MAIL WITH JUST A LINK? <\/strong><\/p>\n Be wary, inspect it, ask the friend what the intent was before agreeing to click on the link. If it doesn\u2019t seem legit, don\u2019t be tempted, just delete it.\u00a0 If the e-mail is from a company, and you’re addressed as “sir” or “madam” and not by your name, and you’re also asked to fill out a form, the smartest solution–don’t.<\/p>\n SMISHING: MOBILE MAKES IT HARDER <\/strong><\/p>\n Smishing is a phishing scam that is sent over Short Message Service (SMS) Text message. It\u2019s not just your inbox that they are after anymore.\u00a0 Most texting fraud is an attempt to get your private information by responding by text.\u00a0\u00a0 They often use fear tactics to get you to respond hastily.\u00a0 In an age where we live on our smart phones, these fraud attempts are smaller, harder to spot, and more frequent, so you’ll need to be that more diligent and take the time for inspection.<\/p>\n HOW TO RESPOND TO A COMPANY WE TRUST?<\/strong><\/p>\n Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and other companies routinely ask us, via an e-mail, to update our passwords when we’ve forgotten them. Their pages look<\/span> authentic, and they offer e-mails with links when we ask for a reminder. So why should I click their link when they send it to re-set the password? Because you requested it from the company<\/strong>.\u00a0 If you’re worried and want to play it safe, skip clicking in any email and go straight to your browser. Most company websites let you change your password at their registered .com<\/u> addresses, by going to the account section and opting for a new password.<\/p>\n Finally, it goes without saying, while I have your attention, that this is a great time to update\u00a0your passwords with hacker proof collections of numbers, symbols, upper and lower-case letters. Stay away from hacker favorites like “password,” 123456″ the name of your street, default, or your pet\u2019s name.<\/p>\n Long passwords from a pass phrase work well. \u201cJimwasmyfavoriteCollegePal1\u201d is an example of a strong password.\u00a0 There are secure password manager programs such as Roboform, https:\/\/www.roboform.com\/<\/a> that can also securely help you keep track of your passwords.<\/p>\n WHAT TO DO IF I GET IN TROUBLE?<\/strong><\/p>\n Always act quickly when you come face to face with a potential fraud, especially if you\u2019ve lost money or believe your identity has been stolen.<\/p>\n FBI<\/strong> – If a phishing scam rolls into your email box, be sure to tell the company right away. You can also report the scam to the FBI\u2019s Internet Fraud Complaint Center at https:\/\/www.ic3.gov\/<\/a><\/p>\n SEC<\/strong> – If the email purports to come from the Securities and Exchange Commission, alert the SEC by submitting a tip online at https:\/\/denebleo.sec.gov\/TCRExternal\/disclaimer.xhtml<\/a><\/p>\n