11/10/08 Scamming Again

They're at it again. Actually, they never really stopped; they just took some time to reinvent themselves. Scammers have jumped on the economic crisis with fervor, using Americans fears for the safety of their bank accounts and investments as a way to steal their personal information. Ironically, the scammers are issuing e-mails which tell possible victims that their "accounts" have been subject to unusual activity and to click on a link which will take them to a bogus website where they will be asked to update their account information, information that includes bank, PIN and Social Security numbers. These scammers too are vultures who will often feed on the good intentions of victims, such as with the millions of Americans who donate funds for national and world crisis. Know this; your bank will never e-mail you asking for updates to your account information. And while some e-mails from online investment groups are legit, many more are not and it is best to err on the side of caution. Hit the delete key.