Phishing

Scammers use email or text messages to trick you into giving them your personal and financial information. But there are several ways to protect yourself.

Phishing – What To Do

Do not open it. In some cases, the act of opening the phishing email may cause you to compromise the security of your Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
Delete it immediately to prevent yourself from accidentally opening the message in the future.
Do not download any attachments accompanying the message. Attachments may contain malware such as viruses, worms or spyware.
Never click links that appear in the message. Links embedded within phishing messages direct you to fraudulent websites.
Do not reply to the sender. Ignore any requests the sender may solicit and do not call phone numbers provided in the message.
Report it. Help others avoid phishing attempts:
- Check if others in your contact list have also received a suspicious message.
- Use the Federal Trade Commission’s online Complaint Assistant if you have been phished.

Phone Calls – What To Do

Hang up or end the call. Be aware that area codes can be misleading. If your Caller ID displays a local area code, this does not guarantee that the caller is local.
Do not respond to the caller’s requests. Many companies, financial institutions, and legitimate businesses will never call you to request your personal information. Never give personal information to an incoming caller.

Federal Trade Commission Best Practices

Scammers use email or text messages to trick you into giving them your personal and financial information. But there are several ways to protect yourself.

This is a link from the Federal Trade Commission on how to navigate and avoid phishing scams: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams#responded