“Phishing” (also
known as carding and spoofing) is a form of social engineering,
characterized by attempts to fraudulently acquire sensitive
information, such as passwords, sensitive personally identifiable
information or credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy
person or business in an apparently official electronic communication,
such as an e-mail or an instant message. The term “phishing”
arises from the use of increasingly sophisticated lures to
“fish” out users’ financial information
and passwords. For more information about “phishing,”
visit the Anti-Phishing Work Group Web site at http://www.antiphishing.org.
ChoicePoint does not ask consumers to verify sensitive personally
identifiable information nor do we ask customers to confirm
their account information via e-mail or an instant message.
In particular, we do not send e-mail to consumers or customers
asking them to verify this information.
If you believe you are a victim of identity theft and would like assistance, please send the Identity Theft Resource Center an email at Victims@idtheftcenter.org or call the ITRC Victim Assistance Center Toll Free (888) 400-5530. Most scams, whether perpetrated by telephone or e-mail, ask
you to provide either credit card account information or your
Social Security number. The ITRC recommends that you never
give out this information unless you initiate the call and
you know that you are speaking to a true company representative.
If you think you have been targeted by a scam, please forward
the entire e-mail message to the ITRC at: itrc@idtheftcenter.org and the organization will forward it to the FBI for you and
let you know if it is a confirmed scam.
Sites That Have Scam Information Include:
(Note: These are all external Web sites and neither ChoicePoint
nor the ITRC endorses or sells product items. These sites
are offered as a source of information only.)
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Protecting Yourself
