Today’s scam comes directly from my email box and although I just received it, the scam it represents has been around for a few years.  It looks pretty legitimate, but it is not.  It is a scam.  If you click on the links, one of two things will happen.  Either you will be sent through this phishing scam to a website that looks legitimate and asks for personal information from you in order to complete the credit card application or you will unwittingly download keystroke logging malware.  In either case, the information gained by through this scam will be used to make you a victim of identity theft.

TIPS

In this particular case, a close look at the email address from which it was sent indicates that this is not from First Premier Bank.   However, even if the address from which it is sent appears to be legitimate, it is not.  First Premier Bank does not send email applications.  In any event, you can never be sure when you receive an email that requires you to click on a link or download an attachment whether it is legitimate or not merely by looking at it.  If you have any thought that the email might be legitimate, you should contact the real company it purports to be from to confirm whether or not this is a scam.  In this case, you will soon learn that it is a scam.  here is a copy of what I received.  DO NOT CLICK on either link.

First PREMIER Bank MasterCard – Complete an Application – Responses in 60 Seconds – Click Here!