Brantford police warn public about bank email scam

Brantford police are warning the public about a bank email scam that steals personal information from victims.

Police say the scam involves the victim receiving an unsolicited email that appears to be from a legitimate banking company.

The email will often ask the recipient to click on a link that will ultimately take them to a fake website.

The fake website will appear authentic because it will use the brand name and logo of a real bank.

The site asks for personal information such as credit card numbers, account numbers, passwords, date of birth, driver’s license number, and social insurance number.

Police have offered these tips to help you avoid falling victim to a phishing scam:

• Never provide your confidential or financial information over the Internet in response to unsolicited emails.
• Play it safe! If you don’t know the source of an email or if it looks suspicious, do not open it.
• Be cautious! Even if you recognize a sender’s email address, do not rely on that alone because addresses may be faked. Pay attention to the contents of the email and be careful of any embedded links.
• Before you enter confidential or financial information online, check for the lock icon on your browser. Ensure the URL in the browser address bar starts with “https.”
• Never click on a link in an email that you suspect may be fake.
• Be sure! If you are unsure whether you are on a legitimate website, reopen your internet browser and type the company URL in the address bar yourself.
• Be alert! Just because an email or website appears to be from a legitimate company doesn’t mean it is. Phishing schemes are designed to look real to trick users into divulging personal information for the purpose of financial fraud or identity theft.
• Verify any instructions for making payments included in an email to ensure they are legitimate.
• Never share your security devices. Keep your Client and Business Client Cards, tokens, and other security devices in a safe place and do not reveal to anyone your card numbers, PINs, IDs, passwords, or token values.