There are many scams on the Internet, we know this already – we have all received spam emails in our inboxes and we delete them without further thought. What happens though when ‘spam’ is undetectable? What if you get an email from your bank or online bank that looks real and is asking for your information to be input on a website? Looks legitimate so you go ahead and do it – after all, they said your account would expire if you did not. Is that a scam or an attempt at identity fraud? Yes, it is.

Your bank or financial institution, no matter where it is located either offline or online will never request by email that you follow a link to input your personal information. If there is a problem with your bank account, your institution will telephone you with the information and/or ask you to come in to rectify the situation. Perhaps the most common scam of this sort is with PayPal, an online financial company that allows merchants and buyers to pass money payments from one to another for goods and services.

There was, and is, an email circulating around from a hacker ‘PayPal’ site that tells you your account will be closed if you do not update your account information. When you click on the link you are taken to a site that looks like PayPal, but isn’t. You are asked for information that PayPal doesn’t require, including your Social Security Number and your Driver’s License number. This should send out big warning bells that it is not legitimate. Someone on the other end of that fake website is recording your information which they will use to empty your PayPal account and perhaps steal your identity.

PayPal in particular is a large and popular business on the Internet that has thousands and thousands of dollars stored each day, making it a perfect target for identity thieves and scammers. However, it is not just PayPal that has been targeted, other lending institutions and online business have also been targeted in the past.

Many people are familiar with the concept of identity theft but don’t consider that it could happen to them. With the Internet, anything is possible and we, as Internet users, have to make it more difficult for scammers and hackers to obtain our information. There are many things that we as users can do to prevent becoming a victim of identity theft:

-Install spyware and anti-virus software on your computer. Keep it updated and run regular scans and checks of your computer. Many hackers can access your computer from far away by installing malicious scripts and spyware on your computer.
-Really watch the websites that you are visiting that require you to input your information. This includes your online banking, PayPal, Amazon, Ebay and more. Watch for signs that the site has changed ever so slightly. Read the URL address and ensure that it is spelled correctly, if even one letter is out of place, you are at a hacker’s ‘mirror’ site that is intending to steal your information and your money.
-Be wary of information you pass via email and messengers. These transmissions are easily intercepted and can result in someone stealing your information and eventually your identity. Never pass your credit card numbers, Social Security Number, bank account information, or any other financial information via email or messenger services.
-Change your account passwords every 30 days to something that is hard to guess. You know the drill – don’t use birthdates, important dates, SSN’s, phone numbers or any personal information to make up your passwords.
-Never give your information, including credit card number, over the phone to a business who called you unsolicited. If you are interested in their services or products, ask for their number, their name and the company name and call them back after researching to find if the company is legitimate.
-Shred any financial information you have printed, such as credit card statements, bank statements, old ATM cards, etc. before throwing them out in the trash can.

By staying vigilant with your personal information, you can deter criminals from stealing your identity. If it is too difficult for them to get your information, they will move on to someone else.