- They ask for personal information. Companies do not ask for information such as Social Security numbers, date of birth, account numbers or passwords. PeoplesBank will NEVER ask for personal information of any kind in an e-mail.
- They make spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes. Legitimate e-mails from businesses have proofreaders, while fraudulent ones often contain mistakes. If you notice a randomly capitalized word or the use of exclamation points, it may be a scam.
- They sound too good to be true. Scammers send e-mails telling you you've won something, but you never even entered a contest. Or they say you've inherited a large sum of money, and you can claim it by sending your account number.
- They impersonate someone. A popular scam involves a hacker sending an e-mail to everyone in the address book, saying they are in trouble and need money quickly. If it doesn't sound like the sender, it's probably a fake. Call your friend before taking any action.
- They are urgent. Scammers often want you to react quickly without thinking. So they say you have to act fast, or your account will be closed, you will lose money or something bad will happen.
At PeoplesBank, we are always taking steps to protect your personal information, and you should too.