Today’s scam of the day comes directly from my own email box where I received the following email:

“Please be informed that resolution has been made regarding the payment. The wire transfer of $15,100  to your designated account has been completed; view the attached slip to check for any possible errors and kindly get back to me ASAP. Jose Garcia”

If I were foolish enough to download the attachment in the email one of two things would have occurred, both of which would have put me in financial jeopardy.  In one scenario, downloading the attachment would have downloaded keystroke logging malware that would have enabled the identity thief sending me the email to steal all of the personal information from my computer and use it to access my bank accounts, use my credit card and make me a victim of identity theft.  In a second scenario, emails like this are used to lure me into providing information, such as my bank account information purportedly to enable the sender of the email to wire money to my bank account, when in fact, the information I would provide would enable the identity thief to steal money from my account.

TIPS

Never let curiosity or greed interfere with smart thinking.  If you have had not financial dealings with the purported sender of the email, you have no reason to click on a link or download an attachment from a stranger.  Even if an email or text message containing a link or attachment appears to come from a legitimate source, you should still refrain from clicking on any link, downloading an attachment or providing personal information until you have confirmed that the communication is legitimate.  Too often the email account of a friend or company that you do business with may have been hacked and taken over by an identity thief.  Trust me, you can’t trust anyone.