Even if an email says it's from Chase or Citibank or Best Buy... don’t believe it.
Now that a security breach has exposed the email addresses of potentially millions of customers of banks, hotels and stores, it is more likely than ever that an email scam will try to trick you into giving out personal information.
The company that was in charge of email addresses, a Dallas marketing firm called Epsilon, has revealed that hackers stole customers' email addresses. While no other personal information was hacked, emails to you from companies you do business with may not be from the company, but rather a scam trying to get you to give up information such as passwords or social security numbers.
While consumers are warned not to respond to general emails asking for personal information because of the data breach, the new emails may look more official and more personal. Security experts warn consumers to be more vigilant than ever in protecting their information.
If an email asks for personal information, don’t respond and don’t click links. Go directly to the company website to find out the real story.
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