Fraud E-mails

Before opening any attachments, responding to any e-mail, or following/clicking on any links contained in an e-mail, please ask yourself the following questions: 

• Is the sender of this message someone I don’t know?
• Is this link/attachment completely unexpected?
• Am I being asked go to a website to update something?
• Am I being asked to disclose personal information (name, address, phone number, bank account, credit card number, password, etc.)?
• Am I being asked for money?
• Am I being asked to install software?
• Am I being offered something that seems too good to be true?
• Is this message intended to frighten me?
• Does a link contained in the message point to a different website (i.e. the message references an Amazon password reset, but the link goes to mybaddomain.com)?

If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, there is a high probability the message is fraudulent. Also, as a general rule, information that you do not want read by someone other than the person the email is addressed to should not be sent via email.
 
When in doubt, get in contact with the message sender before clicking links or opening attachments.  You can always call someone, and ask them to confirm they sent you the message in question.

Be vigilant with fraud e-mails and potential online threats when you’re surfing the internet. Check out this helpful brochure from the Department of Homeland Security to  STOP, THINK then REPLY or CONNECT when it comes to our e-mail/internet habits.  When in doubt, you can always call the person that’s requesting the info.