Our Latest Tip to Fool the Fraudsters

Most of us get a lot of email, and a lot of it is unexpected. But before you go clicking your way through the inbox to see what’s important, slow down for a minute. Take a close look at the senders and subject lines.  

There will probably be some messages from family, friends, and senders you trust. But for many people, at least half of all email comes from someone they don’t recognize. What should you do with these?  

The best advice is to simply delete them. Don’t open the message, don’t click on any links, and do not even “unsubscribe.” 

For many of us, this is hard to do. We just don’t like skipping messages entirely. Maybe it’s fear of missing out, or maybe we just don’t want to be rude, but our instinct is to at least open the message and see what’s in there, just as we would with a letter in our postal mailbox. Unfortunately, this is what bad actors are counting on.  

When you open an email or click on anything – even if it’s just to unsubscribe – this confirms to fraudsters that your email address is valid and active. That’s their cue to keep trying, and it may even increase the amount of spam you receive.   

Give yourself permission to delete any email from senders you don’t know, trust, or recognize. Not everything you delete will be fraud, but there’s a good chance it’s not that important, either. Anyone with a legitimate need to contact you can go to the effort and expense of mailing you a letter.  

If you’d like to talk more about these ideas or have other questions, just call 800-695-2045 and ask for the Fraud Squad, or go to https://www.bankfmb.com/fraudsquad/.  After all, keeping your money safe is what we’re all about!