Beware of this online Identity Theft trick

Tony Koehler | Email | 217-919-0457 Beware of this online Identity Theft trick   Stolen Lives By Russ Banham An e-mail informed me that my AOL account was about to be terminated, and, to retain it and my favorable pricing plan, I would need to fill out a new registration form immediately. I downloaded the form and casually entered my name, Social Security number, date of birth. mother's maiden name, address, driver's license number, credit card number and, wait a second, checking account number? Huh? Is this a scam? Something in the back of my mind said STOP. Call AOL on the phone. I did and was told that the URGENT e-mail was part of a massive fraud. I was one of thousands that day receiving the official looking missive, replete with AOL logo and trademark. Had I submitted the form, my personal information, my very identity, would have been stolen, bartered, sold and appropriated by who knows how many criminals. The costs to me financially and emotionally would have been staggering. I deleted the e-mail. Phew! Email is becoming a common way to gain access to your personal identity information. We want to alert you of some of the scams. The scammers send an email that looks like it comes from a website where they might have personal information or be able to request it, such as AOL, PayPal, Ebay, Western Union, Amazon, Yahoo, a bank, and even the IRS! You're advised that you need to update your information or risk losing your account (or a refund from the IRS). Sometimes they claim their records were corrupted and they must update them. A phony website that looks very much like the real one will have a form for the unsuspecting person to fill out, requesting personal information such as passwords, your credit card numbers, or other identity information. Do not fill out any information and do not submit it. Legitimate companies do not request information in this manner. (See the true story to the left.) It's always better to type the website's domain name in your browser rather than clicking an email link sent to you. A few more keystrokes now saves untold damage and headaches later. Protecting you 24/7, Tony Koehler PS. Check out my website http://www.prepaidlegal.com/idt/koehlerfromaninssv to see how we are helping Americans protect and restore their precious good names! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tony Koehler Independent Associate Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. H: 217-919-0457 email me Learn about the Identity Theft Shield at: http://www.prepaidlegal.com/idt/koehlerfromaninssv