Bogus Web Sites Collect Personal Information

A growing number of consumers have received fictitious email or a pop-up warning informing them that their personal information may have been compromised. The warnings further ask that the consumer visit a Web site to reenter their name and personal information, such as credit card number or social security number, for verification purposes. Often, these warnings appear to be from legitimate commercial organizations, such as Best Buy, AOL, PayPal or Earthlink but are actually operated by an unauthorized individual.

Please use caution when responding to Web sites seeking personal information. It only costs a little to create a phony Web site and send a fraudulent email/warning to unsuspecting consumers. If you are suspicious about a warning or email asking for personal information, contact the company using the telephone or by email. Most organizations respond to email sent to an abuse account (e.g., abuse@aol.com).