Phishing emails, by which scammers and identity thieves attempt to lure you into either clicking on links contained within the email which will download malware or providing personal information that will be used to make you a victim of identity theft, are nothing new. They are a staple of identity thieves and scammers and with good reason because they work. Here is a copy of a new phishing email that appears to come from Chase bank that is presently circulating. DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK.
Your account requires verification due to our recent upgrade. It is mandatory that you confirm your details through our secure link below.
Chase/Connect
Thank you for your co-operation.
Sincerely Yours,
Chase Center© 2016 JPMorgan Chase & Co”
An indication that this is a phishing email is that the email address from which it was sent had nothing to do with Chase, but most likely was from a computer that was part of a botnet of computers controlled remotely by the scammer. In addition, legitimate credit card companies would refer to your specific account number in the email. They also would not use the generic greeting “Dear User,” but would rather specifically direct the email to you by your name. As with all phishing emails, two things can happen if you click on the links provided. Either you will be sent to a legitimate looking, but phony webpage where you will be prompted to input personal information that will be used to make you a victim of identity theft or, even worse, merely by clicking on the link, you will download keystroke logging malware that will steal all of your personal information from your computer and use it to make you a victim of identity theft. If you receive an email like this and think it may possibly be legitimate, merely call the customer service number on the back of your credit card where you can confirm that it is a scam.