In this modern age of technology, the most valuable thing in the world is information. Of course, personal information is something everyone should strive to keep private and secure. Unfortunately, with social networking sites, e-mail, blogs, and online gaming, your personal information is out there more than ever. Unfortunately, there are websites out there asking for personal information and claiming to be a company they are not. This is known as a phishing scam.
Phishing scams are constantly changing, making them difficult to track and sometimes even more difficult to stop. They capitalize on people’s curiosity, and their desire to protect their information, thru social sites, through e-mail, over the phone, on instant messaging, and even using text messages. They may tell you about an exciting offer of some type of merchandise, or that you’ve won a large sum of money. All you have to do is click a link they provide and type in some info. Spoofing is a type of scam where you may receive an e-mail that looks like it originated from a legitimate organization such as PayPal, Money Mutual, or a banking institution. They may tell you about an offer for special customers, or say that something urgent has happened with your account. Again, all you have to do is click the link and provide some information. The message may not even ask for something like credit card data or a social security number–many scams are only looking to collect usernames and passwords. But either way, if you put in the information they ask for, you may receive further communications that ask for more sensitive information, or you may see unauthorized withdrawals on your bank statements.
Keep in mind that things like online banking and payday loans from a participating lender in Money Mutual’s network are still very secure. But it’s always a good idea to be wary of giving up too much personal information before you are absolutely sure the company or site asking for the information is legit. Any message that requests you provide financial data should be treated suspiciously until you can confirm that it is really your bank, payday loan lender, mortgage broker, or other financial institution you have used. Be sure that you do not use the link provided in the message, but physically type in the address yourself. For example, if you get an urgent message about your account from Money Mutual, type the official lender website so you’re certain to go to the real company’s site. Also, be sure to regularly log into all your online accounts, and check all banking statements. If you do see something strange, you can report online scams to a number of authorities, including the federal government.
In general, it’s a good idea to give out personal information on a “need-to-know” basis. Intentional activities such as applying for a payday loan would be a legitimate time for you to supply this data. But it is hardly necessary for a website to have your e-mail address and birth date just because they claim they will “contact you with special offers.” Stay alert, dig a little deeper, and you’ll be just fine.
