internet security - Phishing

There has been a recent wave of random e-mails in circulation aimed at deceiving clients of financial institutions into signing-on to legitimate looking web sites in order to reveal confidential and financial information for the purpose of committing identity theft.

Beware of unsolicited e-mails or e-mails from people you do not know, that urge or entice you to reveal confidential and financial information, offer prizes or say that money is waiting for you to retrieve in exchange for your information. These type of e-mails typically ask you to follow instructions that may involve clicking on a link that takes you to a fake Web site where you are asked to input confidential or financial information. This could include account numbers, PIN, passwords, credit card numbers, driver s license number, Social Insurance or Social Security numbers, or date of birth. Once the information is provided, it is captured by the fraudster who may now use it to gain access to accounts or to steal your identity. This type of fraud is known as Phishing.

If you ever receive an unexpected e-mail that appears to be sent by your financial institution, or e-pay services such as PayPal asking you to provide confidential information or which otherwise appears suspicious, do not respond. Please contact your institution immediately and forward a copy of the e-mail to them. To help us with any investigation, please include a description of the incident and attach any e-mails you received that you suspect may be fraudulent. Avoid changing or retyping any part of the original message as this may interfere with the investigation. Once you have forwarded it to the appropriate authorities, please delete the e-mail from your inbox.

In addition, if you receive an e-mail notifying you to click on a link to receive an e-mail money transfer from a person you don't know, delete the e-mail as it is likely fraudulent. INTERAC Email Money Transfer is a service that is typically used between people who know each other. Both the sender and recipient are aware of the transaction and have agreed upon a private password.

Additional Tips to Help You Spot and Avoid a Phishing Scheme

These type of e-mails attempt to scare or entice you into taking action right away.
They often have spelling or grammatical errors, or the language is not consistent with that of the organization they claim to represent.
Do not use any of the phone numbers provided in the e-mail message, as they may be fake as well.