How to recognize scams

New scams seem to appear every day. We try to keep up with them in our Security Tips & Talk blog. To see the latest scams, browse through our fraud section. In addition, you can learn to recognize a scam by familiarizing yourself with some of the telltale signs.

Scams can contain the following:
· Alarmist messages and threats of account closures.
· Promises of money for little or no effort.
· Deals that sound too good to be true.
· Requests to donate to a charitable organization after a disaster that has been in the news.
· Bad grammar and misspellings

How to report a scam

You can use Microsoft tools to report a suspected scam.
· Internet Explorer. While you are on a suspicious site, click the gear icon and then point to Safety. Then click Report Unsafe Website and use the web page that is displayed to report the website.
· Hotmail. If you receive a suspicious email message that asks for personal information, click the check box next to the message in your Hotmail inbox. Click Mark as and then point to Phishing scam.
· Microsoft Office Outlook. Attach the suspicious email message to a new email message and forward it to reportphishing@antiphishing.org. To learn how to attach an email message to an email message, see Attach a file or other item to an email message.
You can also download the Microsoft Junk E-mail Reporting Add-in for Microsoft Office Outlook.

What to do if you think you have been a victim of a scam

If you suspect that you’ve responded to a phishing scam with personal or financial information, take these steps to minimize any damage and protect your identity.
· Change the passwords or PINs on all your online accounts that you think might be compromised.
· Place a fraud alert on your credit reports. Check with your bank or financial advisor if you’re not sure how to do this.
· Contact the bank or the online merchant directly. Do not follow the link in the fraudulent email message.
· If you know of any accounts that were accessed or opened fraudulently, close those accounts.
· Routinely review your bank and credit card statements monthly for unexplained charges or inquiries that you didn’t initiate.