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Top 11 E-Mail Scams

by Joshua Fruhlinger on July 23, 2008 at 12:01 AM


Scam #3: Cancel This Order!

The Come-On

So you're surfing the 'Net one night and you receive an e-mail confirming your order. You think, "What order?"


The Scam

You follow the "cancel" link in the e-mail, thinking you're protecting your credit card, when all you're doing is giving a rogue site your personal data.


What You Can Do

Carol says: "These e-mails should be deleted immediately upon receipt. It's simple: If you didn't order something but you receive an e-mail asking you to confirm the 'order,' call the company that appears to be sending the message, and get to the bottom of [the situation] over the phone. The customer service representative will likely tell you they don't have any record of this activity, and you'll know for sure that you just avoided the bait."

You can also call your credit card company to see if a random charge actually appeared. Review with them purchases you have made, and if anything stands out, immediately dispute the charge. Most credit card companies will work with you to first freeze the card and then trace the charge.


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