Hamilton

Hackleburg

FLORENCE

Phishing Explained

What is phishing?
Phishing is the name given to the practice of sending emails at random purporting to come from a genuine company operating on the Internet, in an attempt to trick customers of that company into disclosing information at a bogus website operated by fraudsters.  These emails usually claim that it is necessary to “update” or “verify” your customer account information and they urge people to click on a link from the email which takes them to the bogus website.  Any information entered on the bogus website will be captured by the criminals for their own fraudulent purposes.
How can I prevent myself being a victim of phishing?
The key thing is to be suspicious of all unsolicited or unexpected emails you receive, even if they appear to originate from a trusted source.  Although your bank may contact you by email, they will never ask you to reconfirm your login or security password information by clicking on a link in an email and visiting a web site.  Stop to think about how your bank normally communicates with you and never disclose your password in full or personal information.